So this is the 4th year I have posted about the curse of August 15th....I am hoping this year I can reverse this losing trend the Sox have had on this date for the last 12 season.  Last season....I came close....the Sox were rained out...but lost the make up game that was supposed to have been played on August 15th.  For the record...the Sox have lost every game they have played on August 15th since 1997.  August 15th also happens to be my birthday....as well as one Ben Affleck...also a fellow Red Sox fan...and also the only reason why anyone but me knows that they always lose today.

  Keep your fingers crossed Ben....maybe this is the year...that we can celebrate our birthdays with a Sox victory.......

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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 Sometimes...in sports...it seems the story is already written...but then along the way...the players re-write it...wrecking the by-lines that ESPN may have had in store.  Last night was one of the nights....the Sox were down to one out....two strikes in the 9th....and getting ready to fall behind in the wild-card standings.  To make matters worse they had blown several opportunities in the 9th...one was with newly cut Chris Woodward failing to move the runners over, and the other was a blunder by Terry Francona.  Franconca lifted Jason Vartitek for a pinch runner.....Clay Buchholtz.  It appeared from the replays that Buchholtz has NEVER run the bases in his life.

  None of those things however are factors this morning as the Sox rallied from two runs down in the 9th to score 6 runs against the Texas Rangers.  All of the runs came with two outs....and the Sox flair for the dramatic still seems to be in order.  Credit V-Mart for his ten pitch at bat.....where he saw 8 pitches with strike two hung on him.  Martinez crushed a Frankie Francisco fastball to right field and gave the Sox the lead, one they would not give back in the bottom of the 9th.

  For most of the night...it seemed like the song remained the same, as the Sox hapless offense was once again kept in check.  It did not help matters that they were trailing from the get go...thanks to a horrific inning by Jon Lester where he threw over 30 pitches and yielded two runs before the game was only a few minutes old.  Of course there were alot of the same old frustrations, as the Sox left alot of guys on base early, letting the Rangers and Kevin Millwood of the hook.

Once again the back story in the game was the continued failure of rookie Daniel Bard...once again...this un-tested ....un-proven pitcher found himself in the middle of a critical game...throwing critical pitches...and once again failing at the task at hand.  I wonder how many chances this kid is going to get at failing the Sox in bigtime games.  If you are scoring at home...this is the third in about a week that Bard has failed the Sox....luckily....this time the Sox dormant offense was able to bail him out.

 You getting that old 2006 feeling again....well it's more than just a feeling....the Red Sox have acquired former shortstop Alex Gonzalez...from 2006 Boston Red Sox fame.  Alex was flashy with the leather in his time with Boston...but hit really light at the plate....and was oft injured...something that has followed him in his time since leaving Beantown.  The good news for Alex is....he and .210 batting average should fit in nicely with the likes of David Ortiz .218 and Jason Vartiek .222 and his new back up Nick Green .233...and oh yea lets not forget the heir apparent Jed Lowerie...hitting a robust .154 .

It is very sad when you have to witness one's baseball demise....basically right in front of your eyes.  However that has been the case in the latter stages of 2008 and the complete case in 2009.  Like Jason Varitek....David Ortiz has basically morphed into a shell of his former self.

  In his time as GM, Theo Epstein has made alot of bad moves...a few good ones...followed by even fewer bold moves...one of those was banishing Nomar from Red Sox Nation.  The time has come, in fact...it's past time for Theo to make the same move, this time sending Red Sox legend David Ortiz into that good night.  A move most likely will not be made this year...but come this off-season....Ortiz has to be handed the rest of his contract, a pat on the back....and send him on his merry way.

  It has been a long strange trip with Big Papi this year, one that has had many downs....very few ups....and some twist and turns...one that revealed his name on the infamous 2003 naughty list.  I was disappointed that Ortiz's name appeared on the list, however it was not suprising.  What was more suprising was his lame excuses, and basically hiding and taking cover for his past sins.

  It is equally disappointing I'm sure for baseball owners that paid for the production of a lion, and in return they watched thier tiger turn into a harmless kitty.....one that hits around .218....with an OBP of oh say around .300 or so.  It is too bad that the Sox did not protect themselves with some type of out clause if steroids proved to be the reason for the production that got the player the contract in the first place.  Of course maybe Papi's lack of power may not from his lack of "vitamans"...maybe it's because he is really not 33....a pretty comman tale from players from the Domincan Republic.

  For me....it's been tough to grasp...the plain truth that has really been in front of us the entire time.  If there was a player that fit the steroid mold....it was certainly David Ortiz.....of course I always credited his success to Red Sox hitting coach Ron Jackson...that and hitting in front of Manny Rameriz.  I figured those factors were the reason that Papi's numbers spiked in a Red Sox uniform....not a synthetic reason.  I guess in baseball as in life....if something is to good to be true.....most likely it is....

 So as first reported here on Red Sox Nation Daily....the Sox were swept by their hated rivals...the New York Yankees.  It should not have come as a suprise to any Sox fan...however judging from talk radio and the blogosphere...it seems like it has suprised some of Red Sox Nation.  If you have been payin attention...the clues have been thier for you along.  One one, this blogger has said since day one...this Sox had a look and feel of the Sox team of 2006...and just like that team...they hit a major skid mark in August called the Fort Knox Bombers.

 Why in the name of Bob Stanley is this kid still setting up the 8th inning....I understand he had a nice run...against crappy teams...however these are bigtime games...that should not be left to the unsure arm of some punk kid that has accomplished exactly JACK CRAP........His implosion on Tuesday should have been enough for Terry Francona to see that Bard in not quite ready for prime time.......Of course we hear that Bard has "closer type stuff"....yea yea...I have heard all that before....he was called Manny Delcarmen....another loser that cannot stand pressure......like Delcarmen....Bard seems to posess a million dollar arm and a .10 cent head....... 

 Hey Papi...whatever you were on...please got back to the Domincan GNC and get some....fast.....your average is killing the Sox offense....and you have been a drain on the Sox all year....I'm sure it's not only your lack of "supplements" thats affecting your play......the fact that you are not 38 not 33 may also be affecting your swing.....

 The only thing deadier than your bat...is your arm....I am not sure why we have an All-Star catcher at first base.....and deadwood behind the plate.....when at the plate you are known to strand more runners than the Boston Marathon......please..go away.....you were good in your time....but that was years ago.....now your a guy that looks like Jason Varitek...but plays like CRAP.......

 There are some that say you are a great manager.....don't worry Terry....I ain't one of em.....you have stayed with players...waaay longer than you should....you have cost the Sox several precious games this year by leaving starters in too long....pushed all the wrong buttons with the bullpen and the bench....congrats on your second third place finish Tito.......

OKay Theo Epstein needs to see if they have a book called General Mangement for Dummies......Surely it cannot hurt him to read it this off season......In a years time....Theo has traded off the best right handed hitter in a generation...replaced him with a guy from pittsburgh...who has conviently forgot to hit.....passed on Mark Teixeira...even though there were no other viable options.......did not trade for a shortstop...even though the two we have are substandard by little league standards....and passed on every cheap bat this offseason....knowing that your dh and 3rd baseman may be a problem....and shored up your pitching with a 43 year old with a shoulder problem....and a fat guy with an eating and shoulder problem....and oh yea...you re-signed your oft injured 42 year old knuckleball pitcher....whom has not played a full season in five years.....In the words of Brian Cashman....."keep up the good work theo"........

 Hey Remember this guy......for about 20 million less...we could still have damon leading off...instead the Sox brass passed on Damon...for this guy...........needless to say....we are stuck with an aging Drew for two more years...and 30 million....while Damon will be polishing off his world series ring this fall to go along with another nice contract.......ps....didnt the Sox brass whisper that Damon wasnt going to hold up for the life of that bloated Yankee Contract......how's that working out.....

 Okay so the silver lining to yesterdays beat down in Yankee Stadium was the way Clay Buchholtz pitched...very effective...he only yielded two runs to a line-up that feast on bad pitching....(see John Smoltz and Billy Traber).....Buchy's whip was unimpressive...but he got the outs when he needed to...."IF" he can continue to pitch like that ....the Sox have a chance....even if Buchy had given up one run...it would have been one too many yesterday.....

 If your looking for Lester to be a stopper tonight....don't...he is no big game pitcher...and he has never picked the Sox up after a tough loss or any losing streaks....if this guy had won just one of his ALCS starts last year the Sox would have repeated as world series champs......

 This guy should have signed that extension when he had the chance.....Bay has come up real small this summer...and his r.b.i and home run total have stayed frozen in time.....Bay is at best a complimentary player...no more no less....maybe the Yanks ...who will be in need of an outfielder will over pay....Bay....

 The enigma that is Jd Drew....a guy known for getting on base...has more strikeouts..87...than hits 79...pathetic....and his grotesque batting average of .244 is another reason the Sox offense looks like that of the Nationals....Drew has failed at everything he has done in a Sox uniform....we thought Lugo's bloated contract was bad...33 million is a bargin compared to the 70 mill Drew got......two years and counting till it expires...... 

Big Papi big fad has certainly crushed the Sox offense this summer as well...I mean has he really ever got out of his slump....he batting avg peaked at .230....that means .770 of the time this guy makes an out in the middle of the Sox line up....

As promised....even though the Sox have lost six in a row...(I'm couting tonights game as a loss) they will be in no worse than a tie for the wild-card...with 52 games left to play...."IF" they can regroup....and learn how to pitch and hit again...they will make it to October..... 

 So it appears as though...the Sox are going to be swept by the Yankees.  Today...after losing a 5 hour 15 inning marathon, the Sox send the big hype Clay Buhholtz to face the Yankee's Big Waistband.  As bad as it is...and it is bad....it always could be worse.

  In 2006 when the Sox were swept in an epic 5 game series in Fenway Park ( I was there) there were

A. Much less games left in the season

B.  The sweep also left them 4 back in the wild card chase, this time around at worse a sweep would leave them only 1 game back of the Rangers, and still a half game ahead of the Rays

C.  The Sox were never going to win the American League East anyways....The Yankees spent 1/2 a billion dollars in the off-season at Saks 5th avenue....while Theo and the Sox only spent 12 million @ the Dollar Store....

D. The Yankees needed to win this series more than the Sox...after all...they still trail the season series 8-2

You like ...... Well how do you like them apples.......

 So with each passing day and game...my prediction of this team meeting the same fate as thier 2006 brethern comes that much closer to being true.  Once again a team that Theo Epstein said was built on pitching and defense...is going to fall woefully short.  To make matters even worse...it's the sixth time in Theo's tenure that one of his teams have spit the bit after the All-Star break.....like Yogi said....."it's de-ja vu all over again.

  I am curious how many of these low risk...high reward deals have panned out for the boy wonder...just one...David Ortiz...the rest is like a laundry list of guys that were way past thier prime....if they ever had a prime.  How bad is it on Yawkey Way...they have signed Paul Byrd out of retirement.  Such a far cry from a team that worried about finding a spot for John Smoltz....now the worry turns to...how can we dump this loser...and still save face.  Then again...this is the same guy that in 2006 traded Bronson Arroyo for Wily Mo Pena...because he had too much pitching....that same year...we saw guys like Kyle Synder...Jason Jennings...and David Pauly...all make critical starts for the Sox....we also watched the Sox fade to third in the American League East...a fate they seem destined for this year.

  It's not like Theo didn't know he had a problem with his pitching...he did...he just did not have the balls to fix the problem...once again...he was not willing to do what was needed to be done.  Once again...he wanted to fix a mortal wound with a band-aid.  Kinda-off like signing a journey-man named Nick Green to back up Julio Lugo and Jed Lowerie....whats the difference...they are all the same guy...worthless never was beens that are/will and will also be NADA.  Did Theo try and fix the shortstop problem....nope...just decided to limp along....hence why we have a guy hitting .150 and .230 from the shortstop position.

  We should not be suprised at the recent turn of events...the Sox have had the same problems all year....a bat short...a shortstop short...a few REAL starters short...and a bullpen that fails in REAL pressure situations.  The only good thing that could come of all this...is maybe Theo will react  to the Sox falling out of contention like he did in 2006.  That fall Theo opened his wallet and spent 200 million...and brought in players like Jd RALLY KILLER DONKEY HOLE Drew...Julio Lugo...and the 100 Million Dollar man....Dice K.....err on second thought...........