THE GOOD:
- For starters, the BoSox Kids. Ellsbury. Moss. Buchholz. Lester. And lest we forget, because he plays like a seasoned vet, Dustin Pedroia. The Kids have come as billed, exceeding all reasonable expectations and therefore living up to the expectations of Red Sox Nation. I certainly can't remember a time in my Red Sox Lifetime when so many youngsters have carried so much promise and then lived up to it. The Future is before us, and we get the distinct pleasure of watching it unfold. While we are on this subject, I'd like to officially start my campaign for Pedroia as Rookie Of The Year. He's batting .325 over 128 games, and that includes a (relatively) slow start. Remember in April when people other than myself were screaming for him to be replaced by Alex Cora? Not only has DP established himself as one of the most consistent members of the Red Sox line-up, he has also been stellar in the field. He has committed only 5 errors over the course of this season, and has been absolutely clutch at times, snaring balls that were sure singles and throwing out runners from his knees. That grab in the Buchholz No-No is a perfect example (which, by the way, is my undeniable winner of the "Best Game of the Regular Season" Award, barring something spectacular when the Yankees come to town this weekend). Top it all off with a fiery spirit, and palpable drive to WIN at all costs and you have the consumate professional baseball player. If Pedroia doesn't win Rookie of the Year, it will be a travesty and I will personally hunt down every one who didn't vote for him and take a 7-iron to their shins. Specifically MY 7-iron, which now has a nice sharp knick in it from a hidden rock just under the grass in the fairway of a course I played a few weeks ago. I'm still mad. But I digress...
- My Main Man, David Ortiz. Big Papi is hitting again, for power. He's up to 28 homers and 98 RBIs, heading once again for a 35/100+ season. This is an important sign as we head for the playoffs, something the Red Sox desperately need (we'll get to this in The Bad) right now. I've expressed my faith in Papi all season long, and so of course, I'm now looking like the genius that I am. I don't know why any of you ever doubt me...
- The New England Freakin' Patriots!!!!!!!!! What can I say? Tom Brady to Randy Moss...Tom Brady to Wes Welker...Tom Brady to Dante Stallworth...Junior Seau lining up, ON OFFENSE! The thorough dismantling of the Rival New York Jets this past Sunday was a wonderful way to christen this bid for a 4th Super Bowl Championship (silly video-taping issues aside). Loved Ellis Hobbs' record-setting 108 yard kick-off return. The O-line, seemingly shakey in the pre-season gave Tom Terrific all the time in the world. The defense was solid all the way through, even Asante Samuel looked good for the most part, despite his lack of practice. He did get burned on that touchdown even though the Jets ran the exact same play twice in a row, but I'll cut him some slack there. And the 5.5 sacks, including 2.5 from Mike Vrabel and that thumping of Chad Pennington by Green. Things look good. I'm predicting a dominant performance against the Chargers, in no small part fueled by Ladanian Tomlinson's seeming inability to keep his mouth shut. I just hope I can stay awake because...
THE BAD:
- ...the morons responsible for sports scheduling have conspired against us, putting Patriots vs. Chargers up against Red Sox vs. Yankees on Sunday night. Now, I'm sure I don't need to point out which of these games is higher on my list of priorities right now, but I am livid about this situation. Can we get a Constitutional Ammendment passed to prevent this sort of thing? Where's Ted Kennedy when you realy need him? Isn't there anyone in the NFL offices who is a baseball fan and can put 2 and 2 together and come to the conclusion that having a Patriots game during a Red Sox/Yankees game...in SEPTEMBER no less... is NOT going to help with the viewer ratings for the game?
- Richard Seymour and Rodney Harrison. OK, they are on The Bad list for two completely different reasons, but for the sake of brevity I'm lumping them together here. The party line is that Seymour is out of the lineup for 6 weeks. The Rumor Mill says he may be out for the season. While the Patriots defense is still dominant without him, Seymour brings the intangibles of experience and leadership to the squad. His presence is something that propels this team in ways that are more valuable than statistical analysis can support. While I think the Patriots can succeed without him, we are a better team with him. Now as for Rodney, well he cheated. He will serve his time. 4 games without him will not spell doom for our season. But I am getting tired of this seemingly never-ending taint of Steroids/HGH on sports. There needs to be a cultural shift in the world of professional athletics, because despite the rules to the contrary, the culture of sports promotes this behavior. I respect Rodney Harrison as a football player. I respect the way he owned up to his mistake and admitted it (granted, after he was caught). But what I would really respect is if he now takes a stand against the Culture of Performance Enhancing Drugs that is pervasive in sports right now. We need a high profile, active athlete to become a spokeperson for change. We do not need one airing dirty laundry, one trying to sell books or one who proclaims he "just didn't know". We need some one to be a MAN and speak out. And act out. Lead by example. I doubt Rodney will read this and become that person (only in part because I doubt he reads this), but it would be a good thing if he did. It is time for a change. I've said before that I think it is unfair for athletes to be held up as role models for society at large, but just once, it would be nice to see someone held up as such in their own sport.
- RISP. That baseball geek's stat on how a team performs at the plate with Runners In Scoring Postion. It converts to runs scored, and to clutch time performance. We have been spoiled here in Red Sox Nation, because for the last several years, we have just assumed the Sox would hit in these situations. Because they did, time and time again. Somehow we've lost that this season. I no longer feel like a W is in the books 1 down in the ninth with 2 outs and a runner on second. There are 17 games to go. There is no more time to wait for the bats to get hot in the late innings. We need to get this going NOW. The momentum gained from driving in runs when you should can do nothing but put this team in the right place for a run to another World Championship, which is the ONLY measure of success this season. We have the talent. We have the pitching. We have the Best Record in Baseball. We HAVE to start hitting with RISP!!!
- Manny Not Being Manny. My buddy Chomper is a Manny hater. His loss. I'm a Manny guy, but we need Manny Being Manny, not Manny sitting on the bench or at home. Face it, whether you like the guy or not, the Red Sox are undeniably a better team when he is in the lineup. I just hope that when he returns, hopefully before the weekend, he can perform the way we expect him to.
- This one pains me, but Daisuke Matsuzaka has been awful in his last few starts. I'm sure that there is some physical fatigue having now gone through the rigors of an MLB season for the first time. He's pitching on less rest than he's used to and has to face batting orders that don't let up, nothing like Japan. But in Japan, Dice-K was known for his ability to perform his best on the biggest stages. I'd love to see Tito get him a breather, maybe let him skip a start now, so he'll be ready for the biggest stage of all. We simply call it October.
...and finally The Ugly:
- J.D. Drew. 'Nuff said.
Barstool Friday returns this week, I promise.
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