April 2010

PITCHING

 

 


STRIKE.jpgLet me begin by paying proper homage to our most veteran active player…..Mr. Tim Wakefield.

It is possible (but not likely because of injuries & an extremely long season) that our Knuckleballer has pitched his last official start of his career on Sunday April 25, 2010.

For now, he will pitch from the bull pen. And believe me, he’s needed there…and will mess-up our opponents sufficiently after dealing with our starting pitchers’ fastballs….dealing with a slowing, sinking knuckleball mid-game, then onto Bard & Pap’s rockets afterwards.

Wake has had  1,995 Career Strikeouts  (only 5 shy of the Over 2,000 Club who’s active members are: Jamie Moyer, Javier Vazquez & Andy Pettitte).  Tim’s  189 Career Victories place him 3rd among active pitchers in the MLB…175 of them were playing for Boston-3rd in Red Sox records. Not Bad Mr. Wakefield !!

Now to the Sox Bull Pen’s Musical Chairs Saga…

Veteran pitcher Scott Atchison has been optioned to Pawtucket to make room for Fabio Castro to come up and join the team in Toronto. He will wear # 55. Best Of Luck Signor Castro.

 

pap.jpgJonathan Papelbon is tied for 1st place in the AL for saves. He has 275 relief appearances, only 1 shy of Ellis Kinder at 276 (4th place in Red Sox history). Maybe tonight ??

Now onto other things….

Boston is currently tied for 3rd place in the AL East, and is also in 3rd place for Homeruns in the AL. (Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox)

Current best Averages On The Boston Red Sox:  Captain Jason Varitek .379, Darnell McDonald .375, and Kevin Youkilis .372      (very nice guys)

Dustin Pedroia’s 5 Homers are tied for 8th place in the AL, and Most Ever by a Red Sox 2B in the month of April.  (Boston runs on Dustin)

 

 

Kids Day Pedroia.jpgRealistically, Sox fielding is horrendous (Bill Hall Needs To Go Away) and the Bull Pen needs to do better……..and so does our collection of Aces.

Things will get better and more consistent, it’s only April, after all.

Peace, Love & Baseball.

- fenway fruitgirl  (behind the net) 2010

 

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Welcome To Boston Darnell


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After a miserable rainy cold weekend, the Boston Red Sox had a streak going, and it wasn’t pretty. A five-game losing streak that was sinking the ship fast. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was Boston’s worst regular season start since 1932.


Sox GM Theo Epstein was fuming yesterday, and (since poop flows downhill) he expressed displeasure with the team, including coaches & management & whoever else was in close proximity at the time….not holding back on the language or the tone. I can’t say that I blame him (even though he was the one who ultimately chose each and every player there) for being unhinged….I was disgusted to have paid a new high price for my tickets to Sunday’s game, only to see a half-hearted effort and a loss.

It appeared to have had some impact because right from the start the boys were hitting. Tim Wakefield had plenty of hits off his pitches, but the fielding was fair.
There just was no spark, something needed tweaking. It’s no secret that in the MLB, teams know they can steal off our Sox. And steal they did…..a record 9 steals off Mr. Victor Martinez on Tuesday night vs. the Texas Rangers, and that clearly shook him up. Martinez was replaced in the 8th inning by Jason Varitek, who was a calming effect on Hideki Okajima, and walked and Doubled in his short 2-inning stint. 

Jeremy Hermida (new to the Sox from the Marlins) continues to hit the log ball right when it’s really needed…..the kid’s got a wide swing & can send the ball right up into the Monster Seats ! (Great pick-up Theo) And in came the 32-year old mystery man brought-up from Pawtucket and put into the game in the 8th inning to pinch-hit in the outfield. The crowd behind him was loud, and a bit raucus & demanding to the guy on his very first at-bat in Fenway Park. The kid got a bit annoyed, but concentrated on the task at-hand & executed perfectly to make them all shut the hell up ! He sent that ball up into the second row of the Green Monster and took his victory lap around the bases like a champion, also driving-in Captain Varitek to boost the score and tie the game. That’s exciting baseball !!!

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Got through the top of the ninth inning without Texas scoring to break the tie, Pap was on. Then came on bottom of the ninth, in a newly-tied game and the kid is up again…..too much to ask for him to do it again, right? He takes a swing, and pops a hit hard into the Monster Wall driving-in the winning run in the 9th – like a hero. What a magical ending, with the team surrounding him with excitement and child-like glee. I love happy endings. Stay a while Mr. McDonald, we need you.

Show Of Respect:  Mr. Tim Wakefield surpassed legendary Cy Young’s Record Of Red Sox Innings Pitched last night at Fenway Park, in case you were wondering why Terry left him in that game so long without pulling him out. That’s why. Cy Young’s record was 2,728.1 innings pitched, and was in 2nd place until last night…when he was moved to third place behind Wakefield.* 

- fenway fruitgirl 2010


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10-Day Homestand


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After a tough game yesterday in Minneapolis, the Sox came home last night to cold, raw temps and the possibility of rain and snow for Friday night’s game.  What would’ve been a 190th win for veteran pitcher Tim Wakefield, in his 16th year in the major leagues….turned-out to be a shutout win for the Twins, and a disaster for the Sox.


Center fielder Mike Cameron had to go to the hospital in Minnesota for an abdominal strain & did not travel home with the team. Left fielder Jacoby Ellsbury is being examined by Boston doctors on his recent injury (left rib section). He may be placed on the DL today, so the team can bring up replacement(s) from Pawtucket for the homestand.

Welcome back to April / Spring baseball in Boston…..Tampa Bay Rays!  It’s cold and raw and drizzly. If I remember correctly, last September they experienced similar weather (but warmer) when they visited. And games had to be re-scheduled too (Double-Header) !! Hope that does not need to happen this time around.

Whether you are watching the game in the warm comfort of your living room, or with friends at a neighborhood sports bar, or at lovely Fenway Park….keep your fingers and toes crossed for some decent weather for the games this weekend. And for the bats to come back to life to support our Ace Beckett tonight.
 
Oh yeah, and Mr. Jason Varitek…you are oficially an old man now.  His 38th birthday was Sunday April 11th (glad your daughters came to visit).

Boston Red Sox   vs.   Tampa Bay Rays    April  16-19  (Beckett/Buchholz/Lester)

Boston Red Sox   vs.   Texas Rangers       April   20-22

Boston Red Sox   vs.   Baltimore Orioles  April  23-25

Peace, Love & Baseball

- fenway fruitgirl 2010

A NEW BEGINNING


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The 2010 Baseball season has officially begun, and is being celebrated, criticized and speculated nation-wide. The president threw out the first pitch for the NL Champion Phillies yesterday when they played the Washington Nationals in Arlington Virginia, and on Easter, the official 2010 baseball season was launched by a Sunday night game between two of the game’s biggest rivals – the World Champion New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.


It was dark when gametime arrived, so the crowd (and tv audience) could not even see the F-16 military jets that flew-in from Vermont for the Opening festivities. All I could see were the flames omitted from the back of the jets after they passed. I did really enjoy the beautiful fireworks display after the Star Spangled Banner was sung. 

A strange speech was had by the dugout area and right field crowd by an intense 5 year old boy that had memorized the speech from Kurt Russell’s movie about the US Olympic Hockey Team. It had Buchholz, Matsuzaka and the other players amused and a bit shocked to have this child spouting “screw-’em” to the Yankees in the unorthodox display of a pep talk to his team.

The front office certainly pulled-out all the stops for this most-watched night. (NESN) Nationally-televised with no other baseball games on to compete with….Fenway paraded-in a surprise of the great Pedro Martinez to throw out the first pitch (to the Captain) and a cameo with Johnny Pesky pregame.  A great Dig to the opposing Yankees because Pedro’s “Who’s Your Daddy” incidents from back in 2004 infuriated the Big Apple fans and media, creating more hatred and an even bigger rivalry than before…and adding to this slap in the face…he pitched to our Captain Varitek (who socked Yankee boy wonder Alex Rodriguez at Fenway in 2004) sparking the fuse that eventually led to the Evil Empire’s downfall that blessed year…and to the Red Sox eventual World Championship.

Rock legend Steve Tyler appeared later on in the game to sing God Bless America with his daughter, and then they pulled-out the big guns!  Brooklyn-born Neil Diamond was introduced to the roaring crowd to sing, in an appropriate RED SOX hat, the beloved Red Sox crowd’s favorite tune SWEET CAROLINE. (It was amazing.)

It was a media circus to say the least, but MLB knew they were asking for it when they asked Boston’s Fenway Park to host Opening Night against the newly crowned World Champions….nuf ced.


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Aside from the sideshow craziness, the game was quite good. The Sox experienced a slow start, and fell behind early. Beckett was not himself confidence-wise on the mound, but luckily had backup – in spades!

Youkils, Pedroia, Cameron, Beltre, Martinez, Drew, and Scutaro all had hits that pushed us up, and eventually past the Champs to win Game One of the 2010 baseball season.  From what I could conclude by only watching the Bombers once this year, they let two heavy bats go – and that was a crucial error, that will cost them in the postseason. Play Ball ! Let the season begin…..

-Fenway Fruitgirl 2010

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(fireworks photo property of mlb)

 
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