Sports Writing

“She spends his Franklins at the mall with her friends” Wyclef Jean, “We Tryin’ to Stay Alive” If you’re Bob Melvin, what can you do? Franklin’s spent, giving up the entire cycle in 2/3 of an inning (Ortiz homer, Mueller single, Roberts double, Damon triple) but “You Can’t Call Me Al” Kida isn’t exactly the most convincing name in the bullpen. The Sox carried some of yesterday’s sluggishness into the first few innings, but one thing I love about the current state of the Sox is that they know how to pour it on. 2 outs thanks to a DP that could’ve sucked the life out of the team, and instead they go on a rampage, culminating in Man Ram’s Grand Slam (does that sound like a dish at Denny’s? That’s right, serve ’em). I like it very much: no nibbling 1-run innings, just blasting it open with all kinds of hits. More please.

Yo no soy marinero Yo no soy marinero Soy capitan Soy capitan Soy capitan Ritchie Valens, “La Bamba” “La Bamba” would be a fun song to hear on the Fenway PA when the Mariners ever come to town. Unfortunately every time I try to picture Ritchie Valens I just get Lou Diamond Phillips. I remember singing along to the Los Lobos version so much as a kid, and then one day I finally decided to figure out what the lyrics to the song meant, and was so disappointed to find out the “I am not a sailor / I am the captain” truth. But hey, it’s the most appropriate lyrics for the upcoming game. I apologise for not doing a Sox-Mariners preview for the previous game. If that stopped the streak, here I am, back to get the Sox on their winning ways. Or at least pacify my superstition-addled mind. That Seattle bullpen looks very iffy, and the sooner the Sox can chase Franklin out of the game the deeper the damage they can inflict.

Sigh. A loss hurts, but somehow you knew it was going to come against one of the weak sisters of the American League. For some reason, the Sox can go on fire against the very best, but every now and then run into some undistinguished pitcher pitching the game of his life: first Ted Lilly, then Chris Young, now Bobby Madritsch. (Young and Madritsch are in their rookie seasons, admittedly, so it’s easier for them to pitch the game of their lives, but still…) What is it? Do the Sox need copious amounts of video to truly study a pitcher’s tendencies? Is it just a case of the Reverse Lock theory in action? Or do the laws of baseball gravity mean there has to be a comedown sometimes? Just glad we avoided the shutout, and, more than that, staged a semblance of a rally in the 9th. It’s like the Bellhorn slam in the 8-6 loss to the Rangers: sure, it’s a loss, but at least we came back - hope it carries over into the next game.

Lately, it’s become fashionable to talk about the rag-tag appearance of the Sox. Jerry Crasnick wrote a piece that alternated between loving their goofiness and tut-tutting, calling the team

So, Tito held tryouts for the playoff roster (Astacio and Adams, you’re out), while Tim Hudson contributed nicely to the Sox’s offensive preparation by pitching batting practice. Keith Foulke got 1 out for a really cheap 5-run save, and Pedro hits 94 before getting some rest for a crucial stretch. It’s flabbergasting, frankly. Who, seriously, would have thought the Sox’s record in this Angels-Rangers-As stretch would be 8-1? Who would have thought the Rangers would most benefit in this battle for the AL West title because they went 1-2? I’m as optimistic as anyone, and I was seeing 6-3, 7-2 at best. Now the Crank Yankers are only 2 games back. It’s really, really weird to see a Sox team defy expectations. No let downs now. The Sox are on to Seattle, and it’s time to start beating up on the soft underbelly of the AL.

The familiar DUN-DUN sound… PAWSOX TRAINING FACILITY, PAWTUCKET, RI. 6/1/2004 12.58PM. BH Kim’s fastball is declared dead. Jerry Orbach investigates. Bronson Arroyo is the prime suspect. They indict Arroyo on “conspiracy to take the #5 spot in the rotation”.

The New York Times runs an article on Orlando Cabrera today, in which I learnt, among other things, the trivial fact that Orlando and Jolbert Cabrera are brothers. The article also mentions that a cable company in Cartagena has purchased the rights from NESN to televise Red Sox games to Colombia. I always wonder about the effects of securing a player that’s iconic, the way Pedro is for Dominicans. It almost certainly helps in terms of ensuring fan support, but does it also help our farm teams by breeding a generation of would-be Sox players?

Big wheel keep on turnin' Proud Mary keep on burnin' Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river “Proud Mary” And the juggernaut keeps rolling on. Offense, defense, starting pitching, bullpen: all cylinders are firing. Damon’s back. If I were an opposing pitcher I wouldn’t even know where to breathe in the lineup: sure, there’s Manny Ortiz, but the OC can deliver, so can Kapler. Even Derek Lowe can joke about his terrible first half.

Taking up a cause, the Sox should make a nice donation to those affected by Hurricane Frances on behalf of the Sarasota Red Sox and issue an appropriate statement, something like: “We understand that George Steinbrenner must be embarrassed, frustrated and disappointed by the Yankees’ attempts to secure a forfeit during a time of great need for Tampa. It is time to get on with life and forget the sour grapes.”

More Sox in California hi-jinks, as Lowe meets Redman (on a break from recording with Method Man, apparently) tomorrow. Seriously, Redman’s the underrated part of the Oakland rotation, much as Carlos Zambrano has to play fourth fiddle to Prior-Wood-Clement, but it’ll be tough. Fortunately Lowe’s returning to his happy crotch-grabbing place, and his sinker lately looks on. I predict groundouts galore.

Back to back Does anyone not fear Manny and Ortiz in the 3 and 4 spots? I don’t need a 40-40 player, I want a pair of 40-homer hitters. Myth run-down. Ortiz can’t hit lefties, yup. Arroyo’s a #5 starter, yup. 8-3 against one of the better teams in the AL, nice. It’s weird how people can give up on Arroyo after he let in 2 runs in the first 2 innings. Didn’t anyone remember Lowe sacking up in that 4-3 win against the Angels? 1-run innings aren’t the end of the world. I guess I have faith that Francona increasingly seems to know when to hold ’em and knows when to fold ’em. I hope.

Saw this pic of Barry Zito (strumming his pain with his fingers on his sister’s band) on the Sons of Sam Horn game threads and one thing immediately came to mind: why does Barry Zito play the guitar righty? A quick search on Google brought this little trivia nugget:

Oh, and a belated thanks to Adam Gaffin from Boston Online for the shout-out.

Some people ask me what it’s like to blog about baseball in a flipped time zone. Well, it’s the weekend day games that kill me: a day game with a beautiful 2pm start EST starts at 2am Monday morning for me, making it impossible to follow, at least not without severe repercussions on my work. So I missed the game, and only woke up at 6am to go to the bathroom, chanting “Sox 5 Rangers 1” in my mind - baseball reduces the most rational of us all into gibbering morasses of superstition. A quick glance at the computer screen showed a tighter result, with the Sox continuing their charmed lives, providing ecclesiastical relief to the faithful. Ah. Went back to sleep happy.

Just read GQ’s September issue, featuring an “oral history” of Manny, by Nate Penn. Great stuff, featuring interviews of his high school coaches, former scouts, former and present teammates, and others. Pretty much just illustrates the conventional wisdom surrounding Manny Ramirez i.e. he’s just a great hitter, somewhat goofy and kid-like, not too into his money. About the only thing it may add to that conventional wisdom is how much he studies video to hit like he does, but us good Sox fans know that. The stories, though, are fascinating. My favourite quote:

The streak had to end. Rookie pitcher making one of his first ever starts against a streaking team, making this a candidate for the reverse lock. Especially when the pitcher’s name is C Young. (3 Youngs in the starting lineup for the Rangers yesterday - describes the team perfectly.) When it did, at least:

“I want you to know that tonight in America something very important in the fabric of our life took place – very, very important – the Red Sox pulled to two and a half games out of the Yankees. Now, I think that’s important.” - John Kerry, soothsayer

From the Boston Globe: The lovely Ione Skye (“Say Anything . . .”) and the lovelier KaDee Strickland (“Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid”) have been signed to star opposite Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon in “Fever Pitch,” a movie about rabid Red Sox fans, according to yesterday’s Hollywood Reporter.

I’m on a roll, no self control I’m blowing off steam with methamphetamine Green Day, “Geek Stink Breath” We can win ’em swingin’, we can take ’em nice and tight. Beautiful management this game by Terry Francona: leaving Lowe in just to face Vlad in the 8th, then Myers to get his one lefty out, then Foulke for 4 batters. Lowe pitched a great game - finally seems to have discovered that giving up one run in an inning doesn’t mean it has to all end in tears. Bullpen vs. bullpen was as expected, a whole bunch of zeroes all round. Bill Mueller should have had an RBI walk against Brendan Donnelly in the 6th, though, not a strikeout: what kind of strike ends up away, above the waist, and off the plate?

And in other good signs, Pedro sounds happy: The Red Sox posed for their annual team picture in the outfield yesterday. The session included Pedro Martinez, who entered the clubhouse minutes after the scheduled 4 p.m. shoot time and announced triumphantly: “For the first time in five years, I’m going to make one!”