Thanks for trying, Seth.
This is truly miserable stuff. This has arguably been an even worse three-game stretch than the first three of the ’03 ALCS, but the feelings it’s produced are basically the same: hopelessness, doom, despair, anger. But the way the balls are bouncing the Indians’ way, whether it’s Lofton’s homer trickling over the wall or Drew’s grounder the other night bouncing back in toward Garko, it just feels like the Sox cannot win when Beckett isn’t pitching. To me the haunting question is and will be “Why isn’t Ellsbury getting at-bats?” Coco is a great CF but he himself says that he’d rather make a great catch than get winning hit. To me, that says that the guy is not psyched to be at the plate in a playoff game. That’s not good. But the whole stinking lineup, with the exception of Papi and Manny, looks desperate. It’s incredible.
I meant the ’04 ALCS, of course. But the lofted quality of Blake’s homer tonight was reminiscent of Boone’s shot. I never want to see Wakefield on the mound for the Sox again. Joe Buck apparently thinks that Wakefield has “done nothing but win” for Boston ever since signing as a reject a hundred years ago, but it sure seems to me that Wakefield has done quite a bit of losing, too.
Bench Nancy and play Jacobson Ellsburyton. I’m sick of watching weak grounders to the second baseman and want to see Fred Lynn, Jr. motivate some people.
I still think Nancy Drew is too kind. Nancy Drew would find a solution to the lack of production…
You’d think someone on the Sox would take notice of how the Rockies and D-backs got so far—young, homegrown talent–and try to copy with Ellsbury.
I know you’re a big fan of coco seth, but I simply don’t see how the sox can keep him as their center fielder. He’s great with the glove, but he’s simply a terrible hitter who goes through stretches even worse. I know the sox have other problems, but with Ellsbury waiting in the wings it’s time to end the coco era in boston.
I never want to see Wakefield on the mound for the Sox again.
Schilling, Dice-k, Delcarmen, all have been brutal. Let’s just concentrate on wakefield? Great observation.
In the playoffs so far, the 1, 6, 7, 8, 9 spots in the batting order (Pedroia, Drew, Crisp, Varitek, Lugo) are hitting a combined .198 with one home run. Terrible.
Schilling, Dice-k, Delcarmen, all have been brutal. Let’s just concentrate on wakefield? Great observation.
Obviously Wake is one of 3-5 Sox pitchers who have performed poorly in the last three games. I just personally look forward to a Wakeless pitching rotation, whether it’s next year or several years from now. He’s too hit or miss, he’s not the inning eater he once was, he hurts his back because he plays golf all year, and his personal catcher is a terrible hitter and a fat, lazy douchebag. Enough of the aging evangelicals. I’m tired of them.
People want to get on Wakefield but if he fields his position or allows the ball to get through he’s out of the inning with one run and likely going to go 7. If Shorty doesn’t crowd Youk then that’s an out and at worst it’s 2 runs that inning. The Sox finally woke up in the 6th inning so maybe we are tied or ahead going to the 7th. V. Martinez pulls a low outside pitch for a hit and Wake is gone. How many times have we seen Sox hitters do that and it’s an out or DP?
That’s baseball.
However, Schilling and Dice K were bad performances for different reasons but bad nevertheless. Dice-K will improve but Schilling likely put himself out of Boston with that stinker. The offense has been terrible and if Dave Magidan is still here next year then turn the TV off because this team is not going to get any better.
Theo did a terrible thing in signing Crisp to an extension and doing LT deals for Lugo and Drew. WTF was he thinking by making those two guys cornerstones of the team for the next 4-5 years?
Remember that the Sox won with a core of players put together by Dan Duquette and enhanced by Theo. His coming back to the Sox after the 2005 offseason drama has not proven to be a good thing.
That’s right, everyone. Panic and scapegoat. Shouldn’t you be chatting with Shaugnessy right now? Are you the same people that called for Tito’s head in ’04 right before we came back to win four and a row and sweep the Series? Sit Bellhorn! He stinks! Johnny D is washed up!! Tito’s a moron! the what the hell were you thinking?! Whack. Whack, whack. Bellhorn, we love you!! Johnny D is a hero!! Tito’s a genius!! Theo, have my babies!! Give me a freaking break.
Hey everyone, here’s an idea. We’re playing an excellent team that is playing at the top of their game right now, in front of a wildly enthusiastic home crowd, and the ball bounced their way more than it bounced ours. Could that be possible?
If you folks are all on the ledge, please just jump already. We’d be better off without you anyway.
It’s only a 7 game sample size, but it’s bad timing when five of our nine players go into a slump at the same time. In October. If Manny and Papi regress to the mean, we will have absolutely no offense out there.
Everyone feeling better? Between the x-girlfriend and the World Series t-shirts Cleveland kind of screwed the pooch here. Paps summed it up best when he said “Don’t wake a sleeping giant as there will be consequences and repercussions.” Man I love that kid. Do you think he and Beckett have a contest where they measure their balls to see who has the biggest?
First comment — I have counted on MNOOKIN for incisive commentary all these months…where are you and your typerwriter this series? The blognotes would make a great followup to MONSTER.
Dear fellow Blohards, was that the biggest game in a while? Beckett was such a lock that you knew any potential residual Indian mojo was evaporating before your eyes. There is no doubt the befuddled Coco should sit in Boston, and Lugo will wake up with Ellsbury fronting him (and driven by the adrenelin he got from his great bunt) .
Anyone else conscious of the those out-of-date grinning Indian logos and whether Ellsbury cares about them? Can he beat them back better than fellow tribesman Joba? These are the first two Native Americans to play in the bigs in decades and that both must beat the racist epithet-bearers to advance is an interesting coincidence. Schilling will step up and scalp them tomorrow.
After Drew hit that homer I imagined his internal monolgue, his suddenly realizing he was In, completely IN, a made man, solid and untouchable for the rermainder of his zillion dollar contract. No longer on the outside. And, with that relief and condfidence, he’s clear to hsling two or three hits tonmoght and hit 30 points higher per year from now on.
Big hit. Did you see him interviewed afterwards. That was my first exposure to him talking since he hasn’t had an important hit since April. He was cool. Reserved. Modest. Focuseed. centered. “Trying to drive it up the middle” . Sweet swing, Go JD
rupert
17 years ago
Just downright embarrassing play…
tinisoli
17 years ago
Thanks for trying, Seth.
This is truly miserable stuff. This has arguably been an even worse three-game stretch than the first three of the ’03 ALCS, but the feelings it’s produced are basically the same: hopelessness, doom, despair, anger. But the way the balls are bouncing the Indians’ way, whether it’s Lofton’s homer trickling over the wall or Drew’s grounder the other night bouncing back in toward Garko, it just feels like the Sox cannot win when Beckett isn’t pitching. To me the haunting question is and will be “Why isn’t Ellsbury getting at-bats?” Coco is a great CF but he himself says that he’d rather make a great catch than get winning hit. To me, that says that the guy is not psyched to be at the plate in a playoff game. That’s not good. But the whole stinking lineup, with the exception of Papi and Manny, looks desperate. It’s incredible.
tinisoli
17 years ago
I meant the ’04 ALCS, of course. But the lofted quality of Blake’s homer tonight was reminiscent of Boone’s shot. I never want to see Wakefield on the mound for the Sox again. Joe Buck apparently thinks that Wakefield has “done nothing but win” for Boston ever since signing as a reject a hundred years ago, but it sure seems to me that Wakefield has done quite a bit of losing, too.
kinshane
17 years ago
Bench Nancy and play Jacobson Ellsburyton. I’m sick of watching weak grounders to the second baseman and want to see Fred Lynn, Jr. motivate some people.
rupert
17 years ago
I still think Nancy Drew is too kind. Nancy Drew would find a solution to the lack of production…
You’d think someone on the Sox would take notice of how the Rockies and D-backs got so far—young, homegrown talent–and try to copy with Ellsbury.
gary
17 years ago
I know you’re a big fan of coco seth, but I simply don’t see how the sox can keep him as their center fielder. He’s great with the glove, but he’s simply a terrible hitter who goes through stretches even worse. I know the sox have other problems, but with Ellsbury waiting in the wings it’s time to end the coco era in boston.
I never want to see Wakefield on the mound for the Sox again.
Schilling, Dice-k, Delcarmen, all have been brutal. Let’s just concentrate on wakefield? Great observation.
benschon
17 years ago
In the playoffs so far, the 1, 6, 7, 8, 9 spots in the batting order (Pedroia, Drew, Crisp, Varitek, Lugo) are hitting a combined .198 with one home run. Terrible.
tinisoli
17 years ago
Schilling, Dice-k, Delcarmen, all have been brutal. Let’s just concentrate on wakefield? Great observation.
Obviously Wake is one of 3-5 Sox pitchers who have performed poorly in the last three games. I just personally look forward to a Wakeless pitching rotation, whether it’s next year or several years from now. He’s too hit or miss, he’s not the inning eater he once was, he hurts his back because he plays golf all year, and his personal catcher is a terrible hitter and a fat, lazy douchebag. Enough of the aging evangelicals. I’m tired of them.
rln2433
17 years ago
People want to get on Wakefield but if he fields his position or allows the ball to get through he’s out of the inning with one run and likely going to go 7. If Shorty doesn’t crowd Youk then that’s an out and at worst it’s 2 runs that inning. The Sox finally woke up in the 6th inning so maybe we are tied or ahead going to the 7th. V. Martinez pulls a low outside pitch for a hit and Wake is gone. How many times have we seen Sox hitters do that and it’s an out or DP?
That’s baseball.
However, Schilling and Dice K were bad performances for different reasons but bad nevertheless. Dice-K will improve but Schilling likely put himself out of Boston with that stinker. The offense has been terrible and if Dave Magidan is still here next year then turn the TV off because this team is not going to get any better.
Theo did a terrible thing in signing Crisp to an extension and doing LT deals for Lugo and Drew. WTF was he thinking by making those two guys cornerstones of the team for the next 4-5 years?
Remember that the Sox won with a core of players put together by Dan Duquette and enhanced by Theo. His coming back to the Sox after the 2005 offseason drama has not proven to be a good thing.
ntpopo
17 years ago
That’s right, everyone. Panic and scapegoat. Shouldn’t you be chatting with Shaugnessy right now? Are you the same people that called for Tito’s head in ’04 right before we came back to win four and a row and sweep the Series? Sit Bellhorn! He stinks! Johnny D is washed up!! Tito’s a moron! the what the hell were you thinking?! Whack. Whack, whack. Bellhorn, we love you!! Johnny D is a hero!! Tito’s a genius!! Theo, have my babies!! Give me a freaking break.
Hey everyone, here’s an idea. We’re playing an excellent team that is playing at the top of their game right now, in front of a wildly enthusiastic home crowd, and the ball bounced their way more than it bounced ours. Could that be possible?
If you folks are all on the ledge, please just jump already. We’d be better off without you anyway.
benschon
17 years ago
It’s only a 7 game sample size, but it’s bad timing when five of our nine players go into a slump at the same time. In October. If Manny and Papi regress to the mean, we will have absolutely no offense out there.
Time to turn it around.
gary
17 years ago
That’s right, everyone. Panic and scapegoat.
Discussing who’s playing well and who is not isn’t panicking. In fact, you seem to be the one on edge.
branatical
17 years ago
nothing like a little mojo!
MSGiro
17 years ago
Everyone feeling better? Between the x-girlfriend and the World Series t-shirts Cleveland kind of screwed the pooch here. Paps summed it up best when he said “Don’t wake a sleeping giant as there will be consequences and repercussions.” Man I love that kid. Do you think he and Beckett have a contest where they measure their balls to see who has the biggest?
wakefield
17 years ago
First comment — I have counted on MNOOKIN for incisive commentary all these months…where are you and your typerwriter this series? The blognotes would make a great followup to MONSTER.
Dear fellow Blohards, was that the biggest game in a while? Beckett was such a lock that you knew any potential residual Indian mojo was evaporating before your eyes. There is no doubt the befuddled Coco should sit in Boston, and Lugo will wake up with Ellsbury fronting him (and driven by the adrenelin he got from his great bunt) .
Anyone else conscious of the those out-of-date grinning Indian logos and whether Ellsbury cares about them? Can he beat them back better than fellow tribesman Joba? These are the first two Native Americans to play in the bigs in decades and that both must beat the racist epithet-bearers to advance is an interesting coincidence. Schilling will step up and scalp them tomorrow.
Jack
17 years ago
When all our commmenters posts are longer than yours…well, that’s just sad.
kinshane
17 years ago
I retract my call to bench Nancy. Now that I think about it, maybe I should stop calling him “Nancy”.
wakefield
17 years ago
After Drew hit that homer I imagined his internal monolgue, his suddenly realizing he was In, completely IN, a made man, solid and untouchable for the rermainder of his zillion dollar contract. No longer on the outside. And, with that relief and condfidence, he’s clear to hsling two or three hits tonmoght and hit 30 points higher per year from now on.
Big hit. Did you see him interviewed afterwards. That was my first exposure to him talking since he hasn’t had an important hit since April. He was cool. Reserved. Modest. Focuseed. centered. “Trying to drive it up the middle” . Sweet swing, Go JD