It's a whole new world

So, if you want my last summary of the World Series...it's on my other blog The Mindless Void. But, this blog is about something different. Yes, it's about the Red Sox and yes, it's about the World Series. But it's about something bigger.

Something special happened on that Sunday evening that I have never experienced before. For those who have seen me watch a Red Sox game in years past, know I come unglued when things start to fall apart for this team.

My passion runs deep for the Red Sox and the Utah Jazz which leads me to cheer just that much harder than others. I have my nervous ticks of knocking between pitches, clapping a certain way before free throws and having a hard time separating love for my team from being a rational fan of the game.

But, that Sunday night, 10/28/2007 will be a day when everything changed. The Sox were in a dog fight from the first pitch and it looked like it was going to be closer than any Sox fan would like in the World Series.

The Sox are up 4-1 in the bottom of the 8th when Atkins takes Okajima deep for a two run home run. Coors Field experienced a minor earthquake after that and my mom flipped out. My dad was calling the game over and I looked over at them and said..."It's okay...we've got this. You just have to believe".

That was just it...you just have to believe. It was such a foreign concept to me on any level. Hell, I'm a Jazz fan that saw his team lose to the greatest of all time. I'm a Sox fan that watched Aaron "F&*^*&%" Boone hit that home run in extra innings off of Wakefield and watched the Sox win a starring contest with the devil in '04.

Through all of that, the thought of 'just believe' was never part of the thought process. But this year was different. You just believed they would not let you down. Even when down 3-1 and looked like all was lost. You believed that this wasn't their last chance to knock at the door of the World Series. I remember saying "there's always next year" and believing that it was true. That they would be back there next year.

The magical part about that night was after the game was done, looking over at my nephew, Lil' Papi, and realizing that he was born into a world where Red Sox Nation has start to forget the past. A world where '47, '67', '75, '78, '86, '03 were all forgotten and '04 and '07 was the reference point when you thought of the Red Sox.

He was born in a world where the Curse has been Reversed, Fenway is still the Chapel of Baseball and above all else, the Sox are Champions. I wasn't as happy for myself that night, rather for him. To know that his world is different than it was for every other Red Sox fan prior to that night.

He'll see the date on the Boston Globe when he's older and ask me why it's framed. I'll sit him down and tell him of a story where the world changed with one stolen base by Dave Roberts on one fateful night in Fenway Park. How the impossible happened. How the dragon was slayed and 86 years of pain lifted.

But before I tell him of the happy ending...tell him of those years that came before them. They molded a nation, they taught them to appreciate what their team accomplished these past few years and it taught a nation to finally let go of the past and relish in the now and the future. And that is the world Lil' Papi was born into...a world where Sox fans just believe.

Where did they find this JD Drew Guy?

So have I not posted anything in a while? I didn't want to jinx the team and write about the Sox while the playoffs was going on. But, I think its time to post something.

We were watching Game 6 of the ALCS with the bases loaded, zero outs and Manny Ramirez up to plate. Now, what are you thinking is going to happen here? Especially with it being the 1st inning and Fausto Carmona looks more like the pitcher from '06 rather than '07.

Well, Manny strikes out. No big deal, we have the regular season RBI Leader in Mike Lowell up to plate. Two pitches later Lowell flies out to right field. Bringing up what every Red Sox fan fears...J.D. Drew.

When they showed how Drew was 0 for 7 with Runners In Scoring Position, I began to curse and slam my hat against my table. This guy has been horrific this year with an uncanny ability to hit into a double play ball. It's almost like he's trying to find away to get a triple play scored against him.

Well, he takes the first pitch and after a 3-1 count, he takes Carmona yard for a four bagger Grand Slam. I kid you not, I had right before that pitch told Goldberg that "He could erase a lot of bad memories with this at bat". Thinking that maybe a bloop single, maybe a solid double, but never a Grand Slam.

About the only thing I could think was positive about his at bat was that he couldn't hit into a double play. Now, follow that up with when he was at bat later in the game. I remember thinking Drew had his moment in the sun. Never to be seen from again.

Low and behold he ropes a RBI Double to the outfield. Who is this guy? Did someone convince him it's a contract year? The last three playoff games he's 6 for 14 with 8 RBI's and a home run. Where in the hell has that guy been all year?

Bold Prediction:

Like I have told my co-workers, the Rockies are in trouble for a few basic reasons aside of the layoff. Regardless of what you may think, the Rockies have not faced pitchers like Carmona, Beckett, Sabathia on a daily basis. AL Teams do. The quality of pitching and hitting is higher from end to end in the American League. Base running is much poorer though and teams rely on power rather than manufacturing runs.

It will be interesting to see what happens tonight and how the Rockies respond to the Game 1 drubbing. I think they'll be fine, but are going back to Colorado 0-2. The only problem the Sox will have tonight is if the Rockies hitters are seeing Curt Schillings off speed pitches. If they are locating those and hit him hard, the Sox are in trouble.

I also would like to continue with my bold prediction and state that yes...Dustin Pedroia will be the 2007 Rookie of the Year and possibly the World Series MVP if he keeps on the same pace with offensive and defensive production throughout the series.

I'm also going to stick with the Red Sox in 5 with Beckett closing out the series and giving Pedrioa a run for his money for World Series MVP.

:UPDATE::

Scary Thought

The Red Sox earned baseballs best record this year. The irony was that the heart of the line up in David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez was never producing at the same time. It was other guys stepping up to get people in.

Look at Mike Lowell and how he led the team in RBI's this year. How Dustin Pedroia was top 10 in baseball batting average or how Ortiz's power numbers were down, but he was still affective. The scary thing caught fire in September batting over .400 for the last month of the season.

The reason that is scary was Manny caught fire too the last week of the season. Now the Rockies have to deal with the Red Sox that are getting production from 1-8 (everyone but Lugo). With Manny making it look like it's slow pitch softball out there, the Rockies pitching staff may be in for some long nights.

Let's hope those bats continue to stay hot like the Sahara and they add another World Series title to the records. LET'S GO RED SOX!!!

I can breathe....for now

I think my heart rate finally came down the other day as I was on the verge of a heart attack following the AL East race. When the lead closed to 1 1/2 games over the Yankees with the pitching rotation shakey and Manny and Youk doing their best M*A*S*H impressions; I was spooked.

Everyone kept saying that they weren't worried, but I knew it would happen. I knew the Sox would blow this lead and in hindsight (which is always 20/20 right?) worked out to our favor as Francona gave his boys more time off than was suggested in a pennant race and if they would have lost the division, he would have been dragged through the streets of Boston.

But, as we stand on the verge of the greatest month in baseball, Francona is not looked at as Grady Little. Instead a genius as he was looked at earlier. I came across this great blog though the other day that compared the playoff teams to characters on the NBC hit show "The Office".

It is no surprise who they tagged the Red Sox as; the golden boy who everyone loves, the Red Sox. Even better was who the Mets were tagged as; Michael Scott. This was funny prior to the end of the season and was even better given that they tagged (intern) Ryan as the Phillies.

Given how the Mets choked away a 7 game lead in September to let the Phillies come from no where to take division was comically close to how (intern) Ryan snuck in from nowhere to take the job from Corporate from Michael.

Hasta la Vista AK!!!

As much as I want to see $13-14 million go to a guy who breaks down in tears cause his coach is "too hard" on him, I'm more than fine with you doing whatever it takes to get out of Utah.

The fact that he is constantly complaining about how he isn't "The Man" offensively is humorous. What do you expect when you shoot horribly from anything outside of a tip-in or slashing move to the basket? Can you catch fire? Sometimes and sometimes I can survive jumping off a bridge. But you don't see me pushing my luck do you?

Also, something tells me you are not going to be a better offensive option than Boozer, Okur and Williams. All three are consistent with producing offensively. You are here as a defensive threat, not for your offense.

Oh...maybe you don't understand when that is said in English. Allow me to translate: Вы - здесь как защитная угроза, не для нарушения.

Also, you can add to that list that you are not what I would call a "3 Point Shooting Threat". Just in case you were wondering. Granted, you beat up on the Europeans when you were the main option. Congrats on that. Let's see you do that in the pro's. Oh, wait...we have and it didn't exactly work out.

I think you are one of the most electrifying defensive players I've ever seen play. But, please, for the love of god, get it through your head that you are not Michael Jordan. You're biggest impact is not on the offensive end. Why does every other defensive player get this, but not you? Ben Wallace, Bruce Bowen, Ron Artest all understand they are defensive players.

So, with that said, I hope they trade you for the Matrix so we can unload the contract after next season. Does he improve us defensively, no. But he improves us on offense. Plus, Paul Millsap isn't much of a drop off on defense either.

Slow your roll

You know what I hate more than anything in Fantasy Football; when people don't even check their teams and win. But in week 4 there is the karma-like justice that smacks those people around when they don't check their teams and end up with over half their team on a bye week and/or hurt.

Also, I hate leagues where everyone goes on waivers at the start of the first game until Wednesday. What does that mean? If I'm watching the game and Justin Vargas is tearing teams up and he's a Free Agent, I want to be able to pick him up right then and there. It seems fair since I'm paying attention right?

Not with waivers and their communistic view of "give everyone a chance to pick them up" approach. What the hell? You come in on Wednesday to pick up a player that I knew by half-time of his game that he needs to be picked up? Especially after you can watch ESPN that night and they tell you "Hey, if this guy is available in your league...pick him up".

So, what does Joe Fantasy Player do, picks up the guy who people who watch this stuff closely all have had their eyes on. A great example, I put 5 requests in the first week in one league and came away with 1 player change. Wow...thanks Waivers.

Thus, I hate Waivers and people that don't pay attention to their teams. I wish I could just disband them and redistribute their players...maybe via the Waiver System.

Just how good is Brady?

I think the below graphic tells you all you need to know. The irony is that in one of my leagues, the guy has both Brady and Romo. How in the hell did that happen and I ended up with Leinart and Pennington? Good show Paul...good show.

	NAME	COM	ATT	PCT	YDS	YPA	LNG	TD	TD%	INT	INT%	SK	SYD	RAT
1	Tom Brady QB, NWE	70	88	79.5	887	10.08	51	10	11.4	1	1.1	3.0	19	141.8
2	Tony Romo QB, DAL	72	121	59.5	1199	9.91	59	11	9.1	3	2.5	6.0	46	112.9
3	J. Delhomme QB, CAR	55	86	64.0	626	7.28	74	8	9.3	1	1.2	5.0	46	111.9
4	P. Manning QB, IND	86	128	67.2	1066	8.33	64	8	6.3	1	.8	3.0	15	110.4

Just breathe

So, I had this post all written out for how that despite the Sox losing two of three to the New York Yankees. I was going to talk about some college football and maybe close with how the Pats pounded the Chargers.

Before I go any further...I just need to keep in mind to just breathe.

Fast forward to Tuesday morning where the world is upside down in the Nation. I know, have faith Chris tells me. But you're telling me I am to have faith when we have Eric "Walk in the game winning run" Gagne keeps getting the ball?

Francona keeps telling the Nation that we need this bum to start pitching well. Hey Francona, you're telling me that this line up is bad for your bullpen:

In a save situation:
- 7th: Timlin
- 8th: Okajima
- 9th: Papelbon

Timlin is a horse and can pitch multiple innings and sometimes in back to back nights. Also, I would bring Buchholz, Tavarez and Delcarmen to fill in if one of those set ups are not available. Leave Gagne out of the equation unless it is a complete blow out. Burn him then to get his confidence up. Don't put him in during a save opportunity when the Yankees are 3 1/2 out.

Granted Gagne got two quick outs. But as soon as he walked the second guy; you go to Ocho Cinco. Stop screwing around like you still have a 14 game lead Francona!

I do remember an interview where Francona pointed out that he was only a few turns away from being ripped apart by the media. I don't think he is mismanaging this team by any means. But I really think the bullpen has been mismanaged as of late.

Manny, oh Manny, wherefore art thou Manny?

So, I wasn't concerned when Manny initially went out with a strained oblique. But, now my finger nails are officially chewed up to my wrists and I'm more fidgety than the late Rodney Dangerfield.

The Sox are 10-9 with out Manny and have had too many games decided by two runs or less. Don't you think Rivera pitches to Ortiz differently this past Sunday with the bases juiced and Manny batting behind him?

Long story short: Manny, stop being Manny and get better. We need you more than ever

On a Positive Note:

Just like I have been saying for two years now; if you give Tom Brady actual receivers (you know, the ones that catch the ball when they are so wide open that Trent Green could hit him) he would more than excel.

So, after two weeks of Pro Football; let's look at a few stats:

QB Ratings through Week 2:

• Tom Brady - 134
• Tony Romo - 119
• Jeff Garcia - 116
• Jake Delhomme - 111
• Matt Schaub - 111
• Carson Palmer - 108
• Peyton Manning - 102

They have so many options to throw to that Donte Stallworth is not even a main option for the Pats. Also, according to Mr. Brady himself; Randy Moss is a role model. Thats right people, a role model. The reason he was unhappy in Minnesota was cause they weren't making progress. He hated the Raiders cause they gave him Aaron Brooks to throw him the ball.

Now he has one of the most prolific quarterbacks of all time throwing him the ball and he is tearing the competition apart. His 4.29 40 time shows he hasn't lost much of a step since his 4.25 time in college. Oh, and the other knock was he wouldn't go up the middle. Go watch some game film (just ask Belichick to use his tapes) and watch Moss running slant routes like we've never seen before.

To think that this team has two of it's best players out right now in Richard Seymor and Rodney Harrison and they are still dominating the competition. Hell, they embarrassed LT on Sunday night. Granted, I think that had to do with Norv Turner's keen ability to get out coached.

Okay, talking about the Patriots temporarily made me forget about the Sox/Yankees. Only for a bit though.

Fantasy Football Rap

So, given that the last post mostly dedicated to Fantasy Football. I thought I would post one of the more humorous Fantasy Football Raps on the net.



Here are two more videos from GoRemy. His videos are classic and you should be checking them out.

McDonald's Rap - GoRemy
Hey There Khalilah - GoRemy

Red Sox Magic Number?

The Red Sox magic number to clinch the AL East for the first time since 1995 is 16. What does this mean? Any combination of Red Sox wins or Yankee losses totaling 16 will clinch the AL East.

That doesn't mean that the Yankees won't be in the playoffs. I still think they are a lock to get the wild card and match up against the Angels.

Also, Pedro pitched the other day for the Mets. He looked awesome on the mound using a wide variety of pitches at various speeds. He finally had the injury that we all knew he would have and he's showing that he made the needed adjustments to his pitching.

Or as Peter Gammons said...it's time for St. Pedro Days.

The Lineups are set

So, the fantasy drafts are finally done. Four fantasy leagues and a NFL Football Pick'Em league. You could say that I may have a problem. That an intervention is in order. Four leagues? One of which is college football league.

The decision was easy. Our work has fortunately enough trusted us to bring down the Great Wall of Internet Injustice and allow Fantasy Football sites again. Therefore, updating my teams can easily be done during one my numerous conference calls.

But as for my lineups; I tried to draft certain players in all of my leagues. Okay, there was one player in particular I wanted on all three teams; Tom Brady. Thanks to Paulie, that did not happen. Needless to say this was the first scene to pop in my head when he drafted Brady.

With that, let's breakdown the NFL teams for my FF Leagues:

Zion Football League (ZFL)

• QB - Matt Leinart (ARI): At the time, one of the best QBs on the board. More importantly, he's due to go off with that receiver core and a year of experience under his belt. Leinart just knows how to win and it will start to show this year
• RB1 - Reggie Bush (NO): Yeah, I went with the USC connection. But with them using Bush as both a WR and RB; he's due to put up some sick numbers this year
• RB2 - Willis McGahee (BAL): I really like this pick actually. Picked him up in the second round and I think if Jamal Lewis could produce in this system, McGahee will certainly put up some good numbers
• WR1: T.J. Houshmandzadeh (CIN): I look for him to have a huge year since Palmer is back a full year removed from the ACL Injury. He's the Reggie Wayne of this receiver core
• WR2: Andre Johnson (HOU): I really didn't like this pick at all. But he was the best WR on the board in the 5th round. Hopefully Schuab and Ahman Green can help Johnson out
• TE: Alge Crumpler (ATL): Harrington is going to have a lot of dump passes to an easy large target. Enter Crumpler. Even without Vick; he's going to get a lot of catches and TD's
• DEF - Patriots: With Samuel, Harrison and the addition of Adalius Thomas; this defense is set to make some noise. Unfortunately the Bares were taken in the early 5th round or I would have made a run at them.
  
• Key Backups: RB Julius Jones (DAL), WR Santonio Holems (PIT), (WR) Dwane Jarrett (CAR).
  

TD Dance Time

• QB - Tom Brady (NE): Enough said. He has an actual receiver core. Caldwell isn't the No. 1 receiver. You add Moss for a 4th round pick and Donte Stallworth to the NE offense....wow. Imagine that Brady was nearly a Pro-Bowler last year with his high school squad, I can't wait to see this year.
  
• RB1 - Reggie Bush (NO): see above
• RB2 - Brian Westbrook (PHI): If he stays healthy, this will be one hell of a pick. But he needs to stay healthy (fingers crossed)
• RB/WR - Darrell Jackson (SF): He was a No. 1 receiver in Seattle and will quickly become Alex Smiths favorite target
• WR1: Marques Colston (NO): I'm sure this will be a trade at some point given having two NO receivers is never a good thing. But he's a quality receiver, especially in the 5-6th round
• WR2 - Anquan Bouldin (ARI): See my comments on Leinart above. He'll be one of the top targets for Leinart to throw to
• TE - Dallas Clark (IND): Of all TE's who will get a lot of opportunities to catch a ball, Clark is up there
• DEF - Patriots: See above
• Key Bench Players: WR Deion Branch (SEA), WR Calvin Johnson (DET), QB Alex Smith (SF), TE Ben Troupe (TEN)

ADPFL

• QB - Tom Brady: had to draft as many of the same players as possible to not end up cheering against myself on Sundays
• RB1 - Brian Westbrook (PHI): Same as above
• RB2 - Willie Parker (PIT): I think he'll have a great year with Rothlesberger healthy all season. Assuming he stays healthy
• WR1 - Anquan Boldin (ARI): See above
• WR2 - Deion Branch (SEA): Was Touchdown Tom's top receiver. Can he be that for Hasselback? Who knows? I'm hoping so
• TE - Dallas Clark (IND): Same as above
• DEF - Pittsburgh and Oakland: Two defenses that are quality defenses and will only do well if their offense can sustain some sort of drives to keep them off of the field. Both are very defensive minded and should rack up some points
• Key Bench Players: RB LaDell Betts (WAS), WR Donte Stallworth (NE), WR Darrel Jackson (SF)

Manny Who?

Since Manny is off taking his usual "late season siesta" and the Sox rid themselves of Wily "strike out" Mo Pena, the Sox have had to rely on some younger faces in the outfield. Between Manny's siesta's, JD Drew's constant injuries and giving Coco "Gold Glove" Crisp a rest, there have been plenty of starts for the youngsters.

For example, Jacoby Ellsbury has had some wicked stats since 9/1. Since being called up from Triple-A, Ellsbury is 8-12 with a double, triple, two HRs, five RBIs, five runs and two stolen bases. Not bad for a Triple-A kid. Not to mention his run saving defense.

Hell, I have a better shot of of getting Lindsey Lohan clean up her act than getting Manny to play that kind of defense in Left field. The youngsters have provided a much needed shot in the arm to the Sox lineup. Here is who has contributed as of late:

• Dustin Pedroia: Enough said. He's been doing it all year and weighs a $1.20 sopping wet and looks like kid with a fake ID. But in the field, he's got ice in the veins
• Jon Lester: starting to regain his form before he was pulled away from the game due to cancer
• Clay Buchholz: You may have read about him below. If you have talked to me in the last few days...I'm sure I told you about the no hitter he threw
• Jacoby Ellsbury: Provided a boost with his bat and glove
• Kevin Cash: Proved to be a solid backup at catcher and could be the future behind the plate when V-Tech hangs up the cleats.
  

All I can say is Sox fans are seeing the future in front of them now. With a good mix of seasoned veterans and talented youth; they are poised for a deep run at October. It is a rare situation to bring people up from the minors who contribute like the Sox rookies have been. But for years we have heard about the amazing drafting ability of Theo Epstein. Now we get to see it.

This article scared me when I read it about Papi. Yes his power numbers are down; but his average is still above .320 and his OBP is still top 5 in baseball. I'm guessing about 90% of baseball would like to have those numbers and it be considered a slump. Good thing the rest of the bats have stepped up this year to help fill in the power void.

Speaking of stepping up; hey Theo!!! Step up and give Lowell the contract. He has more than deserved it. The last thing you want is for Lowell to walk away to the Yankees when they lose A-Rod to the Angels. He belongs in Boston. I wasn't high on him when we took on his contract with Beckett. But he has more than proven me wrong and that his age and high contract were non issues.

So, with that, I leave you with the quote of the night. The question was asking Josh Beckett what he thought of Jonathan Papelbon's success this year.

"He's pretty good isn't he. Who would have thought a little dumb redneck from Mississippi would be that good, he's as good as anybody I've ever seen" - Josh Beckett.

On that note, Papelbon is pretty good...for a redneck.

I can't believe what I just watched

"1 and 2 the count to Markakis. Two down in the ninth, all zeros on the board. The 1-2 pitch, HE STRUCK HIM OUT!!! Clay Buchholz has thrown a no hitter in Boston tonight and it sends Fenway into a frenzy" - NESN Commentator

Clay Buchholtz just pitched a no hitter. This kid is in only his second major league start and he gets a no hitter. I can't believe what I just saw. I mean, he threw a 12-6 curveball to freeze Markakis for the last strike out. Hell, an ESPN commentator just compared his change up to Johan Santana's.

Buchholtz did what no other Red Sox rookie has ever done before. He is already a legend regardless of what happens. You may think that is early to say about the kid. But, regardless of what happens, I know I'll tell my kids about the day this kid named Clay Buchholz threw a no hitter in Fenway as a rookie. You can say it was the Orioles, but a no hitter is so rare due to all of the things that have to go right.

There is a reason that every team in baseball has been trying to get their hands on this kid for the past few years. He has certainly lived up to the hype. This win wasn't without some great plays from Pedroia and Crisp doing what they do best and making amazing plays.

Clay Buchholz....you're the man. Also, I would rather have Buchholz over Joba Chamberlain and his cheap ass who throws at peoples heads. Enjoy that nice suspension asshole!

This just goes to show how smart Theo Epstein is. Here are the kids he drafted; Dustin Pedroia, Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz. These are players that aren't just contributing, but are a big big reason the Sox are in first in the AL East and with the best record in baseball.

Here's the last few outs of the 9th on NESN. Let it load before you watch it though.


In second start, Buchholz throws a no hitter - Boston Globe
Pitchers Jewel At Fenway - ESPN.com

NFL...Finally

The '07 NFL Season is around the corner. Like any good hearted American, I am excited for the NFL to start. Personally, I love to follow professional football more than college since the best teams play against the best teams to decide the championship.

It may also be because I'm in 4 Fantasy Football leagues and a NFL Pick Em' League. Maybe it's cause the Patriots finally got WR's that can catch the ball. Whatever it is...I'm freakin' excited.

I can't wait for the rematch of the AFC Championship; Pats vs. Colts. I'm sorry, the only reason the Colts won that game was the lack of Rodney Harrison. If he wasn't hurt; that game goes to the Pats cause the deep ball is taken away from Manning.

Speaking of Harrison, I guess this explains why Harrison is so good at 34 years old. I think it raises the question; why don't they just try to test for HGH? Is it cause they don't think they can accurately catch those who use it?

It just seems so basic to test for something like HGH. But then again...that would make sense. Regardless, the Patriots will be dominant this year. Asante Samuel signed, addition of Adalius Thomas and the return of Rodney Harrison on the defense side of the ball. Then there is what they did to the receiver core. Adding Stallworth and Moss is huge. Improved defense + improved offense = Patriots making a run at their 4th Super Bowl.