November 9th, 2007 → 9:54 am @ Seth Mnookin
I know…this is my second reference to the same Phil Collins album in a year and a half! Incredible. (Somehow, I didn’t make it to the Genesis reunion tour. I did see the Police last week at MSG. Not so good. But I digress.)
Anyway – I’m heading to Hong Kong. And Cambodia. And Vietnam. Not for an investigation into the state of semi-pro baseball in Asia; I’m actually heading out on my delayed honeymoon, which will keep me offline until after Thanksgiving… which means I won’t be able to opine on the Sox’s re-signing (or non-re-signing of Mike “Lunchpail” Lowell (nickname courtesy of reader Scott Laton), or on the anti-A Rod sweepstakes, or on Murray Chass’s ongoing effort to write the stupidest column in the history of the world. (Seriously – I have no idea where to even think about beginning with today’s effort. Every time I think he can’t get any dumber he writes something that impresses me anew.)
In the frenzy of planning, I also haven’t had a chance to congratulate the Gold Glove voters on getting at least one position right this year (Youk at first) or castigated them on ridiculously blowing what should have been a no-brainer (Coco in center). (Another aside: if, indeed, Coco ends up patrolling center for some other team next year, which wouldn’t surprise me, I will, as most of you likely know, be disappointed. I really love watching that little dude patrol the outfield…and I still think he made a huge difference this year. And I’m not just saying that because the wife had lunch with Jacoby yesterday and came away cooing about how “nice” and “smart” he is.) I also haven’t had a chance to voice my respect for the deal Curt took to stay in Boston. I know – anyone making $8 mil a year isn’t exactly roughing it – but Schill clearly could have made more on the open market. It’s rare these days that an athlete says “it’s not about the money” and means it; here was a situation in which one actually did. And despite my efforts to be clear-eyed about this whole business of baseball thing, I’m glad #38 will be retiring in Boston uni…and I hope when he gets elected into the Hall (and as far as I’m concerned, there’s no longer any real question as to whether he should make it) he’ll be wearing a Sox cap.
One last bit of housekeeping – any new commenters won’t be able to post until I get back. But by all means sign up and send those comments in; I’ll wade through them as soon as I pay my bills and get over my jetlag.
Mnookin…out.
Post Categories: 2007 Offseason & Coco Crisp & Curt Schilling & Honeymoon & Jacoby Ellsbury & Kevin Youkilis & Mike Lowell & Phil Collins
November 7th, 2007 → 3:15 pm @ Seth Mnookin
OK, not really. But I’m taking care of some housekeeping, and I realized I hadn’t put up a link to this recent piece from Conde Nast Traveler about the largest hula competition in the world. So there you go.
Post Categories: Conde Nast Traveler & Hula & Merrie Monarch
November 6th, 2007 → 3:46 pm @ Seth Mnookin
This has already broken over the wires, but Schilling re-signed with the Sox. It’s a one-year deal, which, I’m assuming, means he really will retire after next year; otherwise, he would have/should have been able to find a longer deal from some other team prettily easily. I don’t know the terms, but I’d assume they’re close to the $13 mil or so he got this year.
Post Categories: 2007 Hot Stove Season & Curt Schilling
October 30th, 2007 → 11:06 am @ Seth Mnookin
Displaying all the graciousness of a Steinbrenner, Rockies owner Charlie Monfort reacted to his team’s total annihilation at the hands of the Red Sox with the following “I just ate ten tabs of really strong acid” statement:
“I think this team is a better team than Boston. It would have been nice to have another two, three, four days. … I think they got the breaks. Are they a better team? I don’t think so. You give us 10 games against them, we’ll beat them six.”
He went on to boast that he had slept with more women than Warren Beatty, was better at chess than Gary Kasparov, and would have bested Johnny Carson in the ratings if he’d decided to host a late-night talk show.
Post Categories: 2007 World Series & Charlie Monfort & Colorado Rockies
October 30th, 2007 → 9:46 am @ Seth Mnookin
Out of all players to have moved through Yawkey Way over the past four years, I’ve probably been hardest on Mike Timlin. It was exactly one year ago today that I bemoaned the Sox resigning the aged righthander; that came several months after I eviscerated Timlin for his performance in the ’06 Boston Massacre; then, just for good measure, I tried to bury the guy last May.
He came up big in the Series; in fact, despite playing a negligible role in Sox victories before Sunday night’s clincher, Timlin was, arguably, the Sox’s most reliable postseason reliever who’s not know for dancing around in his jock. He pitched a perfect 8th in Game 2 of the ALCS (otherwise known as the Gagne debacle) and added on another 1.1 perfect innings (with 2 Ks) in Game 3. That was it until Game 3 of the Series, when he finished up the sixth for Dice-K before giving up a pair of singles to start the seventh; “Darkman” proved his mortality by allowing those two to score when Holliday smacked his first pitch into dead center.
Then there was game 4. In the bottom of the seventh, the Sox were cruising—at least to the extent that a three-run lead can be considered cruising in Denver. After Mini Manny gave up a four-bagger and a single (sandwiched around a walk), the towel-waving Rockies fans had gotten back into the game…and then Timlin came in and notched two quick punchouts to end the inning. Okajima made things interesting in the eighth, but I’m half convinced that was just so Papelbon could have his moment in the spotlight…
So a tip of the cap, Mike. To borrow an overused phrase, you were a true pro. This fall, we were lucky to have you on the team.
Post Categories: 2007 World Series & Mike Timlin
October 29th, 2007 → 3:17 pm @ Seth Mnookin
If you haven’t heard yet, you will soon: Joe Girardi has been named the new manager of the Yankees. That’s all sorts of interesting; for one, I’m curious to see how a guy who occasionally acted like a drill commander while with the Marlins is going to do with the Yankees.
Actually, I’m not that curious – for the next while, I’m just going to revel in the Sox’s total domination. That’s what the rest of the baseball world should be doing too…except that Hank “Mini Me” Steinbrenner is determined to prove that he can be just as much as an egocentric prick as his dad. Seemingly thrown into a frenzied panic when the country’s attention was focused on New York’s rivals—their better, classier, and better run rivals, it’s worth pointing out—Steinbrenner is proving he’s genetically incapable of being gracious and letting a team besides his own dominate the headlines for a couple of days.
Not that this is necessarily bad news. In the last month, Hank has, among other things, ripped into Joe Torre to the tune of, “Where was Joe’s career in ’95 when my dad hired him?” At least we know life in Yankeeland isn’t going to boring just because ol’ George is sailing off into the twilight…
Post Categories: George Steinbrenner & Hank Steinbrenner & Joe Torre & Yankees
October 27th, 2007 → 1:17 pm @ Seth Mnookin
It was mid-September when I first pointed out that fans were booing Drew unfairly; he responded by going on a mini-tear for the rest of the month. He’s only heated up since then. In the last five games—the three elimination matches with Cleveland and the first two games of the Series—Drew has gone 9-for-17 with 8 RBIs, 5 runs, two doubles, and a homer. (That’s good for a line of .529 BA, .579 OBP, .842 SLG, 1.421 OPS.) And a good number of those hits have been important ones. There was, of course, the dagger through the heart grand slam against the Indians. There was also his line drive single into right field in Game Two which was the first hit of the game for the Sox and also set up the game’s first run.
And yet…and yet. Despite optimistic articles proclaiming Drew a fan-favorite, he was greeted was as many muffled boos as anything else during Game 1; his hits, meanwhile, seemed to inspire confusion as much as anything. (Slate’s John Swansburg noticed much the same thing during Game 2, which he happened to witness from the vantage point of my seats along the first-base line.) I obviously love the Red Sox; I also love Boston. Sox fans, however…well, let’s just say I don’t always love them quite so much.
Post Categories: 2007 World Series & J.D. Drew & Red Sox Fans
