Just like starting over

So it's been awhile since I've launched a rant, despite the Sox absolutely falling off the planet since my last post.  It's just been one of those kinds of seasons so far.  Middlebrooks done, Papi misses most of the second half, Ellsbury's 1 dinga, the mass text messages, the skipped Pesky funeral, the Shoppach trade (joke).  Nope, just no sense in blasting a team that's never been better than 4th place all year.  How often do you hear people ripping on the Cubs or the Astros anyway?

But we've entered a new era.  Cherington has officially wiped out the legacy of Theo by moving Adrian, Crawford and Beckett for prospects.  Bravo good sir, bra-vo.  It's about time someone over there comes to their senses and makes some moves.  Gatta admit I was a bit taken aback when I first heard Adrian's name involved, but I've come to accept and embrace it.

This team has showed more life when it's been made up of the young, hungry guys trying to make a name for themselves and trying to establish themselves as major-leaguers.  Take Ciriaco, for example.  Guy's 15-32 against the Yankees (.469) and 11-14 on Fox.  Imagine that guy in the postseason?  How about my boy Will da Drill?  Before suffering the devastating wrist injury, he was hitting .288 with 15 longballs and 54 RBI in 267 ABs.  If you call that roughly half a season, you'd have to think he'd be able to launch close to 30 bombs with around 100 RBI over a full campaign (assuming he's not ruined for life after a particularly serious injury for baseball players).  In comparison, the $20 million man Adrian Gonzales totaled 42 jacks over 1114 ABs in close to two years with the Sox.  Will makes the league minimum.

The new feel to this team is something I think most fans like, or at least will learn to like in time.  Any time you can grab a couple low-money, high-potential pitchers, you're putting yourself in a favorable spot.  If the Red Sox teams of recent years have taught us anything, it's that you can't buy championships.  You don't go out and buy the biggest-name, biggest-money free agents available (Drew, Lackey, Crawford, Jenks) just because it seems like the right thing to do, or just so the Yankees can't get them.  Look at the second-place Rays, sitting comfortably at 70-57.  Ben Zobrist, who makes $4.5 million, leads the team in batting average at .263 (Upton is second at .246, making $7 mil).  The reason they've been hanging around the top all year (and for the last 3-4 years): Cowboy up!

Those guys are a team.  If one guy gets a mohawk, the whole team gets a mohawk, even Maddon (can you really see Bobby V cowboying up?).  They buy in.  The Red Sox need guys who are willing to buy in.  It's hard to get established "stars" and multimillionaires to buy into anything.  It's pretty easy to get hungry 23-year-olds to buy in.  And I think the boys upstairs have finally come around on this.

So I'm looking at this as a glass-half-full scenario.  You dumped a ton of dead money and picked up some more hungry talent.  You did work to solidify the starting rotation for years to come.  And you (hopefully) cleaned up the culture of that clubhouse.  If only you could have thrown Lackey into that deal...  But it's a good start, and I'm looking forward to the new-look, new-feel 2013 Red Sox.

                                                                                                                           Getty

Bring up the kid

So Pedroia injured his thumb on an incredible diving play today in a great Sox win, and he looked in legit pain on the bench.  As Orsillo pointed out, Andrew Bailey's been out since before the season started with some kind of thumb issue.  This could be bad.  At very least you'd have to imagine they're going to sit him 4-5 days to rest it.  So who plays 2nd?  Where does everybody even play to begin with right now?

I say it's finally time.  There's a hole in the infield.  He's got his average up to a respectable .269 and he's gone deep.  It's time for a sneak peek of the Jose Iglesias era.  Bring him up, put him at short, move Mike Aviles to 2nd, keep Will Middlebrooks at 3rd and keep Youk at 1st.  You're definitely gonna miss PD in all aspects of the game, but if Aviles can keep hitting and if Iglesias can come up and hit .240 and play nomar-esque defense, might be a fun show.  Aviles is more than capable of handling 2nd, and it seems like every time this team adds a kid to the roster they go on a 10-3 tear.  They need something like that to be a better-than-.500 ballclub.

And I think the Celtics are definitely capable of beating the Heat.  They've proven they can beat Lebron, a legendary choke artist, and the Heat in general.  Take Bosh out of that lineup and put Roni Turiaff on KG.  Crazier things have happened.  And this is the NBA.  You know they're gonna drag this series out at least 6 games, and I think the NBA would rather have the old-school Big 3 matchup while it's possible (Celts/Spurs) and let the the Heat/Thunder have it next year.  It's a win-win for the NBA.  Great story for obvious reasons this year, my favorite being the KG/Duncan hall of fame showdown.  But then next year both the Heat and Thunder have this redemption theme to them, which the NBA also loves.  It'll happen.

Split

Celtics 81, 76ers 82

Red Sox 6, Mariners 1

Getty

Well it was kind of a wash last night.  Sox finally got a great outing of Lester and had the bats going to back him up, but the Celts were overpowered by the inexperienced 76ers.  If not for KG setting an illegal pick (blatantly trying to sack tap a guy) in the final seconds, the C's may very well have stolen a second straight game to take a commanding lead in the series.  Instead, they let the youngsters back into the thing and gave them some confidence going forward.

If you're the 6ers you have to be feeling pretty damn good about yourselves right now, knowing you've basically come one play away from being up 2-0 over a team with championship experience.  If you're the Celtics, you want this thing over as quickly as possible.  The more games you have to play, the worse your chances are of winning it all.  Exhibit A: Paul Pierce (2-9 shooting, 7 points, 5 turnovers).  This guy probably doesn't have a ton of games left in him this season, so they all have to count.  Now you have to play a 5 game series against a younger team, without home court advantage.  Not the best situation, but the best teams overcome that stuff.

If you're the Sox, you still shouldn't feel too great about yourselves.  Yes, you got a complete game near-shutout out of your top pitcher and notched a third straight win at home.  But you beat the Indians and the Mariners.  Granted, a win's a win, but you're still 16-19 overall and 8-11 at home.  AND, you got Beers n Bogeys Beckett going today.  He really needs a perfect game to get back on track, and to get some people back on his side.  Guy's basically universally hated right now.  It's been sort of a while since a member of the Red Sox was really universally hated and ridiculed like that.  But I'm all for it.  This is what happens when you're fat, drunk and sucking.

Basically it's a tough road ahead for both teams.  And as for the Patriots, I don't really care about any of this Welker negotiation stuff.  He'll be around.  He'll catch mad balls.  The draft picks will be nice adds.  That's all on them for now.

BTW what do I keep saying?  PD, Papi, rookies.  Even though PD snapped his streak, he walked and scored in the first behind a Papi double.  Danny Nava again comes to the plate with men on base and takes the first pitch yard.  Da' Thrill hits and scores.  Love it.  And the Sox need to sign upcoming free agent Josh Hamilton right gd now.

Getty

Mother's Day Miracle

Red Sox 12, Indians 1

Boston.com

As Campbell so beautifully put it, if they win, it'll be a miracle.  Well the Red Seas parted yesterday and the Sox bludgeoned the Indians, also known as the Red Sox rejects, in a feel-good 12-1 drubbing.  Salty lit it up for 5 RBIs and Will da Thrill Middlebrooks stayed hot with his 4th bomb of the year.  Grand slam phenom Danny Nava flashed some leather and helped give the Sox the spark they've been lacking all year.

As I mentioned previously, the only guys playing lately have been PD, Papi and the rookies.  We saw that yesterday.  The Destroia extended his hit streak to 14 games with a bomb over the center fielder's head in the 7th, a ball that many outfielders catch.  But I'll take it.  Papi once again made a team pay for the shift, shooting a ball through the gap and finishing the day with another RBI and a run scored.  And you know what the kids did.

As I also previously mentioned, the Sox are still very trendy.  They still only win when they blow the opponent out, and the wins and losses always seem to string together.  They've won 3 straight now, and hopefully with the lowly Mariners in town they can keep the streak alive.  They're still going to have to get real hot real soon to be considered a serious contender, but they're making baby steps in the right direction.

And on a non-Sox related issue, who else is sick of all the GD lax highlights on ESPN?  We've got baseball, playoff basketball and playoff hockey going on, yet the Top 10 is full of behind-the-back lax goals (is there any other kind?), 200-foot softball homers and soccer.  Hey "worldwide leader," nobody watches that shit.  Show me Nava's diving catch for Christ's sake.  I never want to see another softball or lacrosse highlight in my life.  Once in a blue moon there is a phenomenal soccer play that even I can enjoy, but that other shit's for the birds.

By the way, look for me behind the Sox bullpen tonight.  Last time I was there Ells hit a bomb to me.

Sox trending

Boston.com

Surprisingly enough, the Red Sox played tonight and I'm actually not about to launch into a vitriolic tirade.  As ugly as it was, I'll take it.  Win's a win.  I'm already at the point where I truly never expect them to win, so if they do it's just gravy.  But what's probably the most unbelievable thing about this team is how many trends they've already fallen into.

In Clay Buchholz's 7 starts this year, the Sox have scored 58 runs - an average of 8.29 per game.  That's how a 4-1 pitcher lives with an 8.31 ERA and 1.97 WHIP.  How and why do they only score for Buck, and why is it always so much?  Where is that the rest of the time?  The Sox have played a different team in each of his starts, so it's not like they have any team's number and Clay just keeps getting starts against them.  It's a mindfuck, but it is a trend that has now persisted for the whole season.  He actually broke his epic 5 ER streak tonight by only allowing 3 earned over 6 1/3, so, congrats on snapping that trend, for now.

ESPN fantasy baseball

The Sox only know how to win by absolutely mangling the opposition.  They're 6-3 in games decided by 6 runs or more.  Nine blowout games out of 32 is certainly a noticeable trend, though it's sort of amazing to think that they've won the games they have.  Almost looks like they're a .500 team at a glance.  Almost.

baseball-reference.com

Whenever Will Middlebrooks gets a hit, it's a god damned bullet.  The kid had another big rip tonight with the bases juiced to bring in 2.  He sadly ended his own historic streak of consecutive games with an extra-base hit to start a career at 5 after an 0-4 the other night, but for what it's worth, the streak tied Enos Slaughter, who did it in 1938.  Entering the major leagues by being associated with a guy named Slaughter has to be a good sign.  He should be the real deal at the plate.  The field's kind of another story for now, but like Billy Bean said, "Defense, doesn't, matter!"  Kid's already got 11 RBIs and triple the bombs of one Albert Pujols, and he's been in the league about 15 minutes.  Don't know why this kid hasn't gotten really a speck of national attention like Harper has.  Hopefully the trend here is to keep ridin' the rookie and tell Youk to accept one of their classic phantom 60-day injury deals.  The Lackey, if you will.

ESPN fantasy baseball

BTW my life is staring at charts and graphs all day, which is why I'm a fantasy force to be reckoned with.

KG parties like it's 1999

Celtics 83,  Hawks 80

KG turning back the hands of time tonight.  Providing some solace on an otherwise disastrous night for Boston.  The "dirtiest player" in the game went off for 28 and 14 with 5 blocks, 3 steals, 2 assists and just 1 turnover.  Possibly the best game the Big Ticket has turned in since donning the shamrock.  I also noticed some of the best trash talk I've seen out of him since he's been here, and that's a good sign.  The Celtics are undefeated in games where KG calls an opponent "fuckin pussy," as we all saw on national television tonight.  I think that's what pushed the aging C's over the top, as they were outscored in every quarter but the second.

Looking forward to playing an awkward Philadelphia team whose leading scorer is Lou Williams -- at 14.9 points a game -- who comes off da' bench.  I don't know any franchise players who come off da' bench.

BTW the Lakers are looking like they're about to blow their second 3-1 playoff lead since 2006 (Steve-o and the Suns).  Nice.

Beckett bogeys

Indians 8,  Red Sox 3

Well that was good time, huh?  This team is officially bad.  No starting pitching, no reliable relievers, no outfielders that can catch a ball and a manager who doesn't seem to ever know what the hell's going on.  Beckett had a chance tonight to come out and shut up his critics and start winning back some respect from the fans.  Yeah, kinda went the other the way on that one, huh?  Derek Lowe got more love in that game than anyone on the Red Sox, and rightfully so.  Only guys playing right now are PD, Papi and the rookies.

Let's face it, Josh Beckett is the new John Lackey.  Guy honestly does more harm than good, fans hate him and he drains payroll (and Bud Lights).  Not to mention he makes all the other pitchers think it's ok to be a fat, arrogant prick at all times.

But don't worry.  Dice-K's coming back soon...