It was not suprising that Clay Buchholz got bombed last night.  The only real mystery was how long he would go, and how manys runs he would be tagged for.  Again, the Red Sox hitters gave Buchy a nice lead, and again he pissed it away faster than a gambler on payday.

  Last night Buchholz pitched a clean first inning, and that was about all.  That was his highlight reel.  Buchy went 2.1 innings, giving up five runs on three hits and three walks.  Buchholz faced only 14 batters, and it took him sixty pitches to get thru 2.1 innings.  The good news from last nights debacle, was the demotion of Clay Buchholz to the double a Portland.  Buchy has lost his last eight starts, has gone six innings only once, and has never been a threat to help the Sox win a game.  It is pathetic that he has been in the rotation this long.  It has been painfully obvious that Buchholz did not have the tools needed to be a big league pitcher this year.  However, Theo had his "master plan", and it included Clay Buchholz being a Red Sox starter in 2008.

  Once again the bullpen resembled a punching bag, as they took it on the chin for six earned runs.  How David Aardsma remains in a Red Sox uniform is unbelievable.  Clearly he is done in any capacity as productive member of the bullpen.  However as is usually the case, Aardsma was not alone in his failure's.  Javier Lopez stunk on wheat last night, giving up three earned runs in one whole inning of work.  Mike Timlin pitched two innings, giving up only one runs, only Hideki Okajima pitched clean for the Sox last night.

  If you are scoring at home, this is the third time in a week the Sox pitchers have given up a football like score.  A team giving up this many runs at this point in the season is no serious threat for any playoff run.  The Sox have allowed 17, 15 and 11 runs in thier last nine games. 

I am not quite sure I have ever seen a Red Sox pitcher like Dice-K.  It can be an exercise in frustration watching him pitch.  Last night was more of the same from Dice-K, alotta pitches, a ton of walks, and a whole lot of jams.  However just  like his hero Harry Houdini, Dice K managed to escape most of the jams he created.  Lets put it this way, if you see Dice-K buying a lottery ticket, try and ease drop, find out what number he is playing, and play it too, beacuse there is no one luckier than him.

Dice-K had his normal stuff last night, not too overpowering, just making pitches when he needed to.  Of course when you walk five batters over five innings, its usually going to be a short night.  Which it was, Dice-K went five innings, struck out six, walked five and allowed two earned runs on six hits.  For his efforts, Dice threw 105 pitches to just to make it five innings. 

  I am not quite sure what I am amazed by more, the fact that Dice-K has 15 wins, or how he gets them.  Think about the luck involved in getting 15 wins, the offense providing him the runs.  The bullpen holding up, usually for three or more innings, especially the Red Sox bullpen.  Whatever the case, Dice-K has now won 15 games in back to back season for the Sox.

  Someone wearing a #33 Red Sox jersey has been playing in Jason Varitek's place these last games in Baltimore.  Tek had a multi hit night and a multi r.b.i. night last night.  He has also homered in back-to-back games for the first time all season.

  The Sox managed to score seven runs with Jason Varitek, Alex Cora and Coco Crisp rounding out the bottom half of the line-up.  Every Boston starter managed to get a hit, as the offense continues to stay on track.  The Sox were again light Nancy Drew's services, as he sat out another game with beotch-ites. 

As a life long Red Sox fan I find that I am very superstious, and I was a believer in the curse.  I think I am the taylor made Red Sox fan, and sometimes my life has mirrored that of the Red Sox.

  Today is my birthday, August 15th, and luckily for me, there was another cool guy born on todays date.  His name is Ben Affleck, he also shares my passion for the Red Sox.  Since he is also a die-hard Sox fan, ESPN noticed something that I already knew.  The Sox have not won a game on August 15th in ten years.  How is that possible, it defies all logic and reason.  I have been close a few times, both 2006 and 2007 games were ones the Sox were winning late.  In 2006 I was done in by Willy Mo Pena.  Last year I was done in by Eric Gag-me, in the 8th inning.  Whatever...however..the Sox seem to also lose on August 15th, look it up, or watch ESPN today if you don't believe me.

  It stands to reason, that the Sox always give me a late bummer birthday present.  I guess when I ask the baseball gods for one World Series from the Red Sox before I die, I guess they took me literally, and decided that no birthday wins for me. 

  This is year 11, will they win or will they lose, who knows.  I know its Roy Hallady versus Paul Byrd.  I know the Sox have won five out of six, and math dictates they are about due to lose.  Either way, here's to you August 15th curse.....

Posted Below is a blog from two years ago...on this date.....

Me and Ben Affleck and The Red Sox

What do me and Ben Affleck have in common, if you guessed today being our birthday you would have guessed right. Affleck was born August 15, 1972, and I was born August 15, 1971, and we are both Red Sox fans, but we share one more thing in common.  The Boston Red Sox give us the same thing for our birthday every year, a stinking defeat.  A strange but true stat, the Red Sox have now lost nine games straight on August 15th.  This of course further proves that I am indeed cheering for the right team.  With Curt Schilling on the mound tonight I thought my birthday curse would end.  Curt did his best, and pitched pretty well thru six, had a small hiccup in the seventh, but overall looked like vintage Schilling.  Wily Mo Pena booted a ball in the 9th, leading to a run that might have scored anyway.  One-Two-Three 9th inning, and the curse of August 15th lives on!!!!

• Posted on August 15, 2006 at 7:23 PM
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  Okay so I am not trying to diminsh what the Rays have accomplished so far, but a look at thier schedule is very telling.  The Rays have played 60 games versus teams that are .500 or better.  However, they have only played four games since July 1 versus teams with a .500 record or better.  The Rays, like most teams in MLB this year have struggled on the road.  However the Rays are currently on thier first ten day road trip of the season.  The Sox have already played five such 10 day road trips so far this season.  The Sox have also played 68 games versus teams with a .500 or better record.

  I understand the payroll difference's between the two teams, however there is less of a difference between the Rays and Red Sox payrolls , than that of say the Sox and Yanks.  The Sox have not even been in the same zip code as the Yankees the last six or seven seasons, and that has never really mattered.

  I think the Rays are for real, however I don't think they have played the same schedule as the Sox. They have not gone out west as much, and they have not had a fraction of the long road trips that the Sox have had.  It will be interesting to see how the Rays react to some adversity the rest of the way.  The Rays have 43 games left this season.  They play 31 of those games against teams with winning records.  They also play 23 of those games on the road.  Finally a 119 games into the season, the Red Sox may have the schedule working for them

One of the best unexpected surprises of this season is the play of Jon Lester.  Lester has pitched several big games for the Sox this year, and he has come up money in all of them.  On a night where the bullpen was heavily taxed from the night before, the Sox needed someone to step up and go deep into the game.  Lester was equal to the task, as he went 7.1 innings for the Sox last night.

  Jon Lester had total control of all his pitches, and was dominent and effcient the entire outing.  Lester threw 108 pitches last night, 76 of the pitches were strikes.  Lester struck out six, and scattered seven hits.  Lester did give up a homer to Ian Kinsler, and he was charged with three earned runs.  Mike Timlin allowed both of his inherited from Lester to score.  Lester previous to this season was not know as a tough competitor on the mound, he seemed to wilt in tough outings.  However this season has been completely different.  Earlier in the year when the Sox had just been swept by the Rays, they had a four game set in Yankee Stadium.  Lester stepped up and completely owned the Yanks in the house that Ruth built.  He pitched a complete game shut out.  A few weeks ago, after the Sox had dropped the first two against the Yanks in Fenway, again Lester stepped up when his team needed him, and again he crushed the Yankees.

  The Rangers, who have the best offense in all of baseball, and lead in most offensive catagories, have been treated to some fireworks the last two nights.  Of the Red Sox starters, all but two had hits, and four Red Sox batters had multi-hit nights.  Kevin Youkilis had another big night as well, as he collected three hits and two r.b.i.'s.  The Sox have now outscored the Rangers 27-21 in the last two games.  The Sox also lead the season series with the Rangers 6-0.  It is safe to say that none of the Rangers have Neil Diamond in thier i-pods.

Looks the injury bug continues to plague the Red Sox...

From the Boston Globe....

Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell has been placed on the 15-day disabled list due to an oblique injury that he suffered during last night's game.

Righthander pitcher David Pauley has been recalled from Pawtucket to take Lowell's spot on the roster.

Lowell struck out looking in the seventh inning after having strained his right oblique during the at-bat.

More on Lowell from the Globe's Amalie Benjamin in today's Red Sox notebook:

"I took those two swings my last at-bat, the first one I felt like a little grab on my side, the second one I felt something a lot more significant," said Lowell, who then left the game. "The last pitch I kind of panicked, I didn't know what to do. I didn't think I could swing. I was kind of hoping he'd just flop a curveball or something. I've never had this happen to me before. It's just frustrating." ...

After the game, Lowell could barely stand, his eyes and face wrinkled with what seemed like pain. He was deeply concerned about what today's MRI would bring.

"I can't really stand up really straight," he said. "I feel like keeping bent over feels a lot more comfortable. Getting up out of a chair isn't the greatest thing. I just hope I sleep good tonight."

Asked if he thought the disabled list would be a possibility, Lowell said, "I hope tomorrow I feel better. I'm just, I'm not sure.

"I'm kind of - I wouldn't say nervous about it - but I feel like I'm in uncharted waters. I'd like to avoid [the DL]."

The trainers, Lowell said, have told him to take it slowly, believing that rest will help his already ailing hip. Lowell has been suffering from a strained right hip flexor since the end of June, and spent time earlier this season on the disabled list with a sprained left thumb. But Lowell said that, with the injection he got a week ago, his hip had been improving.

"I don't see them as two totally different things, it's just too much of a coincidence," he said, of the hip and the oblique.

"Those two swings were weird. I tried to kind of bend over and grab it, and see if something would go away. But, I don't know, it's kind of getting progressively worse."

THE 36 RUNS COMBINED BY THE SOX AND RANGERS TIES A MODERN MARK SET IN 1950

THE 17 RUNS ALLOWED BY THE RED SOX IS THE MOST THEY HAVE ALLOWED AND STILL WON

THE 17 RUNS IS THE MOST SCORED BY THE RANGERS IN DEFEAT

NO PITCHER HAS GIVEN UP 12 RUNS AN GOT A NO DECISION SINCE 1918

4 PITCHERS MAKING THIER DEBUT HAVE BEEN SPOTTED TEN RUN LEADS IN MAJOR LEAGUE HISTORY...ONLY ZINK GOT A NO DECISION

BIG PAPI BECOMES ONE OF FOUR PEOPLE TO HAVE TWO THREE RUN HOMERS IN THE SAME INNING

PAUL BYRD WAS ACQUIRED YESTERDAY VIA A TRADE FROM THE INDIANS, IT IT LOOKS LIKE NOT A MINUTE TO SOON..

MIKE LOWELL WILL HAVE AN MRI TODAY ON HIS HIP....A TRIP TO THE DL COULD BE IN HIS FUTURE

Well if you like high scoring, poorly pitched baseball, then last night was your night.  One night after being no hit for 6 1/3 innings the Boston Red Sox exploded for 10 runs...in the first inning. Big Papi hit two three run homers, and the Sox seemed to have things under control.

  However, things are not always as they would seem, and the Sox began to have pitching problems of thier own.  Charlie Zink, making his major league debut seemed to get into trouble in every inning.  Zink a knuckle-baller escaped a few innings with minimal damage the first four innings, but things unraveled very quickly in the 5th inning.  It seemed obvious to me that Zink was not going to last, especially against the best offense in baseball, however manager Terry Francona must have thought otherwise.  Maybe thats why Francona let Zink get into so much trouble in the 5th, maybe he wanted him to qualify for the win, whatever the reason, it was one of many mistakes Francona would make last night.  Zink was finally pulled in the 5th, going 4.1 innings.  Zink's line last night, eleven hits, eight earned runs, and one walk and one strikeout.  I hope all the clamoring for Zink to replace Wakefield can officially stop now.

  The game went to the bullpen for the Rangers in the third inning, and the top of the 5th for the Sox.  Both bullpens combined to give up 18 runs for thier efforts.  The Sox bullpen gave up nine runs, on nine hits and two walks, and only Hideki Okajima did not give up an earned run.  The Ranger bullpen was only slighty better, giving up seven runs on seven hits and two walks.  The Rangers made a smart move in the third by bringing in thier long man (and my friend) Josh Rupe.  Rupe came in with bases loaded in the third, he did give up two earned runs, but did manage to keep the game within reach for the Rangers by only giving up two runs in 2 1/3 innings.  In fact Rupe was in line for the win when he left the game. 

  One wonders why Terry Francona did not bring in our long man Justin Masterson in the 5th.  It seemed like a logical move, considering that there was still almost five innings of baseball to be pitched.  Instead Francona went the route of piecing together match-ups and innings.  Something that proved very costly, as every pitcher in the Sox bullpen, except Justin Masterson pitched.  Another steller night for Manny Delcarmen, as he unloaded Ranger base runners faster than a ups guy unloading boxes at christmas.  Delcarmen pitched one inning, gave up four hits and three runs, basically allowing every other batter he faced to reach base.

  What can you say about the Sox offense last night, 19 runs in a regulation game.  However if they scored 16 runs it would have been a wasted effort and a collossal failure.  Every Red Sox batter that started had a hit, with the exception of Kevin Cash.  David Ortiz had two three run homers, and was robbed of another in the sixth.  Dustin Pedoria had five freaking hits, and two r.b.i.'s, including the game tying run.  Kevin Youkilis had two home runs in the same game, for the fourth time this year.  Youk's second homerun, a three run job provided the Sox with a three run lead in the bottom of the 8th. 

  It was certainly a game for the ages, and one no Red Sox fan will forget watching for a long time.  However this game also exposed the Sox glaring weakness in the bullpen.  Still it was a helluva of game...and helluva comeback.  I'm sure when they were up 10 runs the boys never envisioned that they would need four runs in the 8th inning to get a win.

So another day, another game back of the Tampa Bay Rays.  With 44 games left in the season, the smart money is not on the Boston Red Sox to repeat as A.L. East champions.  While we are at it, this team is not going to repeat at anything else this season either.  A disappointing exclamation point on a season that started with so much promise.

  From the start of this season, there were alot of question marks about this team.  Essentially this was the same team that won it all just the year before, with just a few minor tweaks here and there.  Based on what Red Sox brass had seen the previous year, they thought they had all the answers in the bullpen and the rotation.  However those answers have just provided more questions, as both the starting pitching and bullpen have been inconsistant all season.  The bullpen as of late has pitched well, however thru 118 games this year, the pen has blown more leads than all of last year, and by a wide margin.  Hideki Okajima has completely morphed into a guy that can not be counted on, especially late in games or with runners on the base.  Manny Delcarmen, the hometown product, shows flashes every once in awhile, but for the most part lacks the mental toughness to be a big league pitcher, in any capacity.  To be sure, the bullpen has been a massive leak in the 2008 season, one that has left the Sox in a precarious state in the standings.

  Starting pitching has not been a beacon of light for the 2008 Red Sox either.  Curt Schilling, the ultimate stopper, never pitched an inning for the Sox this year.  Josh Beckett was supposed to be the leader and ace of the staff, however with few exceptions he has looked like anything but.  Dice-K's record indicates he is a better pitcher this year, however he always just one bad pitch away from a loss in everyone of his starts, hardly a guy that can be depended, especially not for a playoff run.  Jon Lester has been an unexpected surprise this year, and he has certainly given the Sox more that they could have bargined for.  The only problem for Lester this year, is that he has pitched a ton of innings this year, and if the Sox made a run into the playoffs, that could come back and haunt Lester and the Sox.  Clay Buchholtz, wow what can you say, this kid has been a world class disappointment.  Buchholtz was handed a starting job in spring training, and has shown little reason to think he will have anything to offer to the 2008 season.  Most of Buchholtz starts have been like throwing gas on a flame, and he gives the Sox no chance to win every 5th day.

  The Sox did sign an insurance policy, Bartolo Colon, and he did look pretty good when he was on the mound.  However keeping Colon upright has proved to be a challenging prospect.  Colon's injuries are a by-product of poor conditioning and a diet fueled by pizza and dunkin donuts.  To date, Colon is back in the minors on a rehab assignment, and shows no sign of being ready for the stretch run.

  Now comes the news of Tim Wakefield's injury, and a trip to the DL.  Wake is not a sexy pitcher, but he usually goes deep into games and gives the Sox a chance to win.  Thanks to Theo Epstein's inability to do anything productive at the trading deadline, the Sox will now turn to an untested rookie to win important games.  The Sox had an extra starter in Justin Masterson, who had done a remarkable job as a spot starter.  However Theo felt that HIS master plan of turning Masterson into a bullpen guy and bringing back Buchholtz was the way to go.  A massive mistake by Epstein, one that has cost the Sox dearly, as Buchholtz is 0-6 with an e.r.a. just north of 8 in his return.

  If you can read the tea leaves, the 2008 Boston Red Sox are a team poised to go nowhere.  This team has shown no flashes of last years edition, and they lack the heart of a championship club.  If the Sox make the postseason, and that is a huge if, they will be bested by whatever club waits for them in the first round.  A long hot stove season awaits Red Sox Nation, and thats about all we have to look forward to.

 I understand a 5th starter is never going to be a Cy Young candidate, I get it.  However, what you need from a 5th starter is a guy that will come out and give you a chance to win the game, not a guy who is an automatic loser.

  Thats what Clay Buchholtz is these days, a bigtime loser, who no matter what kind of run support he is given, squanders it.  This time, Buchy was given a three run lead right out of the gate.  As usual, Buchholtz only managed to hold a little while, as the second time thru, the White Sox chewed him up and spat him out.  Buchholtz managed to only go three innings today, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks.  To be sure it is a horrible line, but it could have been worse, the White Sox stranded a few runners. You can't blame Buchholtlz, he should not even be out there.  Why in the middle of a playoff run and a pennant race would you have a guy as pathetic as Buchholtz pitching.  The guy is a head case, and he has shown no reason at any point in this season that he is ready to be a major league pitcher.  Yet the Red Sox brass keep running Buchholtz out every 5th day.

  The Sox hitters had an okay day today, five runs should have been enough, and a three run lead should have helped thier cause.  Jacoby Ellsbury back at the lead-off, had an 0-ffer day.  Mike Lowell provided the early offense, but when the Sox needed a run late, Lowell grounded into a base loaded one out inning ending double play, something he does a lot of.  Jason Varitek had another lousy day, striking out twice, and lowering his season average to .219.  All in all the Sox had thier chance despite Clay Buchholtz lousy outing, but in the end it is another game that got away.

  In the words of Yogi Berra, "it's early, but its getting late".  The Sox have struggled all year on the road, and there is no reason to think they will snap out of it.  The Rays are 4.5 games up on the Sox with 44 games left to be played. 

In a deal that has not crossed the news wire yet, the New York Yankees have acquired Brett Farve from the New York Jets.  Yankee GM Brian Cashman felt that the Yanks needed to bolster thier starting five, and "how much worse than Carl Pavano could he be".  Cashman also sighted that it had been at least five minutes since the media starved Yankees had done anything "noteworthy". 

MORE TO FOLLOW AS DETAILS BECOME AVAILABLE...............

It may be the Royals, but a road win is a road win.  For the second night in a row, the Sox spanked the homeboys from Kansas City.  The Red Sox have now improved thier post-Manny record to 5-1.  It remains to be seen if these wins are a by-product of the level of competion they have played, however Kansas City had been hot, winning seven of eight coming into thier series at home versus the Red Sox.

  Tim Wakefield again pitched another quality start, however this time he was awarded some run support, and the win.  Wakefield went six innings, throwing only 81 pitches in the process.  He only allowed four hits, and struck out six, while walking zero Royals.  Wake gave up only one earned, the other was unearned due to a past ball, a side affect of a knuckle ball night.  The bullpen was shakey, but did not bend in thier three innings of work.  Manny Delcarmen, Justin Masterson, and Jonathan Papelbon worked the last three frames.  Delcarmen and Papelbon both struggled but got timely outs to escape thier innings unscathed and unscored upon.  If you are scoring at home, since Okajima's two out homerun in the 8th inning of Friday's game, the Sox bullpen has pitched 15 scoreless innings.

  It was another good pretty good night for the Boston batters as they put an eight spot on the scoreboard.  Of the starters that played the entire game, only Mike Lowell did not have a hit.  Jason Bay, J.D. Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury had multi-hit nights, and Ellsbury blasted a three run homer in the 7th that put the game on ice.  For the second night in a row, Nancy Drew did a good job from the lead-off spot, getting on base three times.  Can't say enough about rookie phenom Jed Lowrie, he continues to play great, and get timely hitting.  Jason Bay also continued to stay white hot, as he had another two hit night, he has now run his average to .423 in his six games in a Sox uniform.

  Off day today, as the Sox head to Chicago for a four game series with the first place White Sox.  The pitching looks about equal, with the exception of the game the Sox will have to run Clay Buchholtz to the mound.  Game two will feature Dice-K versus our old buddy Jose Contreas.

It seems the only luck the Sox have had this year has been bad luck.  The Sox seem to catch every team on it's hottest streak of the season.  That is even true in this series, as the Royals had won seven of eight games coming into last nights contest.  None of that matter last night, as the Royals got a taste of 2007's version of Josh Beckett.

Beckett finally showed the flashes of what made him the 2007 Cy Young runner up last night.  Beckett had a small hiccup in the first inning, but after that it was lights out.  Beckett cruised for most of the game with a deadly assortment of fastballs and breaking balls.  Beckett worked seven innings, allowing only four hits and two earned runs.  Beckett struck out seven and walked two batters, and only had to throw 90 pitches to get to the 7th inning.

  The Boston hitters also looked good last night as well.  Every Boston hitter with the exception of Mike Lowell got a hit, and every Red Sox starter got on base at least once.  J.D. Drew may need to buy a book on baserunning, however he did get on base three times from the lead-off spot.  Jason Bay continued his Red Sox hitting streak, as he went four for five last night with two r.b.i.'s and two runs scored.  Bay just missed a three run homer in the 6th, when the ball landed on the fence in center and stayed there long enough for Ross Gload to swat it down.  Jacoby Ellsbury showed signs of life last night, as he had another multi-hit game.

  The Rays got a rare win last night versus the Indians last night, they had an offer going versus them this year.  So the Sox gained no ground there, however the Yanks lost again and they now fall three and a half games back of the Sox and 6.5 back of the Rays.

The Boston Globe is reporting that along with being sad that Manny had to go somewhere else and play, Papi may be feeling effects from his surgically repaired wrist.  Ortiz complained after his last at bat in last nights game that he felt a clicking noise in his left wrist.  I am sure there will be more to follow on this......

The story was the same for Clay Buchholtz as it has been in most of his recent starts.  Some flashes of a good pitcher, but somebody that is not quite ready to put it all together.

  Buchholtz was handed a two run lead last night before he took the mound, but somehow you knew it was not going to be enough.  Sure enough, it was not a lead he could hold for three innings.  Buchy gave up a solo homer to Alex Gordon in the 2nd, and then he imploded in the 3rd.  Buchholtz had to throw over thirty pitches in the third inning, that included  eight Kansas City batters.  Buchholtz did manage to survive until the 6th inning, and manged to keep the lead at two runs for the Royals.  His line last night was six innings pitched, seven hits, three walks and four strikeouts, and he also took the loss.

  As predicted by me yesterday, J.D. Drew was not the answer at the top of the line-up.  Drew had another O-ffer night, as his average continues it's trip south.  Jason Bay continued his Red Sox hitting streak in the 9th with an r.b.i. single that kept the Sox rally alive.  Overall for the night, Bay was 1-5, although he did strikeout badly on six pitches earlier in the game when Gil Meche was pitching.  Big Papi continues his sulking slump as he failed to get a hit.  Papi has recorded just one hit since Manny's departure, and 1-16 streak.

  The only silver linning for the Sox last night was the earlier loss by the Rays at home, and the Yankees road loss.  The Sox made up no ground, but they lost none either.  A guess another tid-bit was the bullpen not allowing a run in two innings of work, to continue thier 11 inning scoreless streak.

While Mike Lowell was dragging his sore hip around the diamond for nine innings yesterday, J.D. Drew got the day off.  I guess it was J.D. being J.D., not offering his day off to his wounded teammate.  Well anyways, Lowell is off today, and Drew is back.  In the quest to find a lead-off man, Terry Francona has decided to give nancy another look....

Here are the line-ups....another long night on the mound no doubt...

1. J.D. Drew, RF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
5. Jason Bay, LF
6. Sean Casey, 1B
7. Jed Lowrie, SS
8. Jason Varitek, C
9. Coco Crisp, CF
-- Clay Buchholz, SP

So long before I was a member of Red Sox Nation, I cheered for the Dodgers, and still tune in from time to time.  Well the last few days have given me more motive to tune into the boys in blue.  That line-up sure isn't the 81 Dodgers to be sure.  However the addition of a "motivated" Manny Rameriz sure can't hurt either.

  My main problem with watching the Dodgers games is thier broadcast team, Vin Scully.  Vin Scully was also the voice of NBC back in the day when they used to broadcast baseball, and playoff games in particular.  I can still hear that rat ******* saying slow roller getting thru Buckners legs.  All these years, and I still resent Scully for just calling that game.  Luckily for me I can mute the tv and still keep up with what is going on.

  So anyway, enough about Scully, how bout Man-Ram.  I see that a little motivation and the promise of big $$$ has put a spring in Manny's step, and a cork in his bat.  Manny has scalded the ball so far for the Dodgers, going four for five today, and missed the cycle by a triple.  I did read somewhere that Manny was gonna get a haircut, because he did not want special treatment.  So far, Manny still has his trademark dreads.  I guess it is very time consuming being a good citizen.  Hopefully this will be trade like the one between the Rangers and the Reds earlier this year, where the Rangers recieved Josh Hamilton in exchange for Edinson Volquez.  I think everything will be fine in La-La land for Manny, as long as there are plenty oftickets for his entourage, everything should be fine.....

 Have the Sox righted the ship, tough to say, but they head out on the road going in the direction.  Today the Red Sox finished off the Oakland A's with a three game sweep.  The Sox did it with a total TEAM effort. 

  Dice-K went six innings today, throwing over a hundred pitches, but only surrending two runs along the way.  Dice struck out eight batters, while only allowing four hits, and two walks.  For the third time in the series, the bullpen kept a closed door, closed.  The bridge to Jonathan Papelbon was paved with gold as Hideki Okajima and head case Manny Delcarmen allowed no runs and only one hit in their two innings of work.  Jonathan Papelbon worked a 1-2-3 9th just like they draw it up, to earn his 31st save of the season.

On the otherside of the coin, the Boston hitters continued to grind out good at bats.  Jason Bay continues to impress as went two for four today, with a run scored.  Bay also impressed today with his arm as he got his first outfield assist gunning down Mark Ellis who was trying to stretch a single into a double.  Coco Crisp also had two productive at bats, two sacrifice flyballs, that scored two of the five runs.

The Sox will now start a seven game road trip through Kansas City and Chicago.  The sox have been helter skelter all year on the road, but as they say, times a wasting.  Every game counts, but you can assign more of a value on games won and lost in August and September.

 A day after scoring the winning run, Jason Bay put the Sox ahead with a three run homer in the first inning.  It seems that Manny may not be the only one at home in his new surroundings. 

  The Red Sox find that playing a struggling team like the A's is alot more fun than trying to deal with a team red hot like the Angels.  Jon Lester pitched very well again, depite a small hiccup in the first, where it seemed everyone reached base.  Lester again went seven innings,  struck out five, and only walked one batter.  After giving up four hits in the first, Lester settled down, and only gave up three hits the last six frames he had to pitch.  The bullpen backed Lester as well, going the last two innings, allowing no runs and no hits.

  The Red Sox batters also had a good night as well, as every Red Sox starter had a hit.  Kevin Youkilis had two homers, both two run dingers, and Jason Bay also went deep for the Sox.  Bay recieved anouther rousing ovation in his at bats.  Mike Lowell, who has been bothered by a strained hit played and played well.  He had a double and single in four at bats.  Lowell efforts last night were an example of true grit, as it was obvious he was playing hurt.

  The Yankees and Rays also won in a walk yesterday, so no ground was gained.  In get away day today, the Sox will face lefty Dallas Braden, while they will counter with Dice-K.  Lets hope Dice has a little something left in the tank, after that horrific performance versus the Angels.

 The quest to defend thier World Series title began in earnest last night in Boston.  The Sox began a new chapter last night, one that was free of Manny and all the baggage that was Manny being Manny.  Manny had said earlier in the day that he felt like a 5000 lb weight had been lifted.  Funny thing Manny, I think there are more than a few members of the Boston Red Sox that feel that way.

  For most of the game last night, it looked as though the Sox were going to be victorious in Jason Bay's debut game as a Red Sox.  Bay had played well got on base a few times, and scored the games only run, not a bad story line.  However Hideki Okajima had other plans for the story line, as he allowed a two out two strike solo homerun to Jack Cust.  My my, that bridge to the 8th inning has so so many potholes, it's too bad that it did not get fixed before the trade dealine, but I digress.

  The Sox bullpen managed to pull together after that and put together four scoreless innings while waiting for the toothless Boston offense to get going, no easy task to be sure.  The Sox left em loaded in the 11th, as it seemed there was no way they were going to push across a run.  Then in the 12th inning, our old buddy Allen Embree emerged from the Oakland bullpen.  Embree got Big Papi (0-5) and Alex Cora out, and the stage was set again for Jason Bay.  Bay crushed a Embree's fastball, and just missed a walk off homerun, but settled for a triple.  For whatever reason, the A's decided to walk J.D. Drew (lefty vs lefty), and pitch to Jed Lowrie.  Lowrie who had popped up earlier with a chance to win, would not disappoint this time.  Lowrie hit an infield single, and he and J.D. Drew were hustling and both managed to be safe.  Jason Bay crossed home plate, and the Red Sox, not the Dodgers got the Hollywood ending last night.

So in light of recent events, I felt like I needed to sit down with Theo and discuss what lead the Sox to trade Manny Rameriz...

 You want Answers....

 I think I am entitled to them

 YOU WANT ANSWERS!!!

 I WANT THE TRUTH !!!!!

 YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH.....

SON WE LIVE IN RED SOX NATION THAT HAS THIN GREEN WALLS...AND THOSE WALLS HAVE TO BE GUARDED BY MEN WITH BATS.  WHOSE GONNA DO IT ..YOU..YOU MANNY RAMERIZ ?  I HAVE A GREATER RESPONSIBILITY THAN YOU CAN POSSIBLY FATHOM.

YOU WEEP FOR MANNY AND YOU CURSE ME THEO EPSTEIN.  YOU HAVE THAT LUXURY. YOU HAVE THE LUXURY OF NOT KNOWING WHAT I KNOW..THAT MANNY'S DEATH IN BOSTON, WHILE TRAGIC...PROBABLY SAVE THE TEAM...

AND MY EXISTANCE, WHILE GROTESQUE AND INCOMPREHENSIBLE TO YOU, SAVES RED SOX PLAYERS...YOU DON'T WANT THE TRUTH...BECAUSE DEEP DOWN , IN PLACES YOU DON'T TALK ABOUT ON RED SOX NATION DAILY...YOU WANT ME MAKING THAT TRADE...YOU NEED ME MAKING THAT TRADE...

RED SOX PLAYERS USE WORDS LIKE HONOR..CODE..LOYALTY..WE USE THESE WORDS AS THE BACKBONE TO LIFE SPENT REVERSING 86 YEAR OLD CURSES..MANNY USES THEM AS A PUNCHLINE ON A CELLPHONE INSIDE THE GREEN MONSTER..

I HAVE NEITHER THE TIME NOR INCLINATION TO EXPLAIN MYSELF TO A BLOGGER WHO RISES AND SLEEPS UNDER THE TWO WORLD SERIES BLANKETS THAT I HAVE PROVIDED, AND THEN QUESTIONS THE MANNER I PROVIDED THEM IN!!  I'D RATHER YOU SAY THANK YOU AND GO ABOUT YOUR BLOGGING.  OTHERWISE, I SUGGEST YOU PICK UP A GREEN MONSTER TICKET..EITHER WAY ...I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOU THINK YOU ARE ENTITLED TO

 DID YOU ORDER THE TRADING OF MANNY RAMERIZ FOR JASON BAY...???

 YOUR GOD!@#$ RIGHT I DID....!!!!!

As you can see our five minutes ended kinda-off quickly...I will see what i can do to get Theo back in Red Sox Nation Daily....