There are many standing around the drinking trough (but there's nothing in the well.)

Bill:
A loss is a loss, still, I'm liking Schilling's progress …

 

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Doug:
Ditto. 7 innings, 117 pitches, hitting 95 on the gun …

 

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Bill:
If the 1-3 hittahs don't go a combined 0-11, Schilling gets the win sure as shit.

 

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Doug:
Speaking of shit, didn't you love seeing Foulke take Jurassic Carl down on 3 pitches?

 

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Bill:
You know, it's the presence of that dink on the White Sox rostah that has me quietly discounting their chances come Octobah. Talk about your curses, I mean it's only a mattah of time before he bites the head off a bat boy or something, fucking freak show.

 

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Doug:
Yeah, the dude's always spouting off about being Christian and shit but funny how we don't read any stories about his helping those in need or anything.

 

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Bill:
No kidding. It's easy to poke fun at Schilling's treating the mound as religious altah with all that silent praying and cross kissing, but at least the dude can walk the walk, you know?

 

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Doug:
Well, fucking Everett doesn't believe you can prove dinosaurs existed, so he probably doesn't believe the hurricane really happened either.

 

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Bill:
What I don't friggin get is how can Everett rationalize playing baseball since, like dinosaurs, it's not mentioned in the Bible either?

 

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Doug:
Well, you know what they say, "If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit."

 

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Comments

[AJM]

Yes, Carl Everett is a dope and a nutjob, but he made two noteworthy contributions during his brief tenure in Boston:

1. Breaking up Pussina's perfect game...aw, sorry about that, Mikey...how's that sign-on-with-the-MFYs-to-grab-a-cheap-meaningless-ring-or-two thing working out for ya'? So glad we had to "settle" for Manny instead of that dink.

2. Bestowing the moniker "Curly Haired Boyfriend" upon Dan Shaugnessy, a gift that will withstand the test of time.

So I hate to admit that CHB was right about Jurassic Carl. Hate to admit that CHB was right about anything, ever, frankly.

[pawsoxpop]

Lousy loss, but nice Yaz imitation by Manny, gunning down C-Rex Everett trying to get to second on a wall-ball. Every once in awhile in September you're going to run into a really good outing by a young pitcher that nobody's seen much, and without baseball's premier leadoff hitter in the lineup, you'll be in trouble.

If nothing else, the Labor Day loss was Exhibit A in the case of Johnny Damon for MVP. Let's hope there's no Exhibit B.

[pawsoxpop]

BTW, AJM, I did not know that Everett coined the CHB monicker. Can you or anyone else give me the exact quote or details on the situation?

[Jason O.]

Johnny Damon for MVP...
chortle...
guffaw...
titter...
That's either the most brilliantly conceived joke in history or a cleverly disguised canard involving Ortiz, who is the only player on the Red Sox within serious MVP consideration.

[Rick]

Baseball is certainly mentioned in the Bible...right at the start...."In The Big Inning..."

[scott12xu]

**Baseball is certainly mentioned in the Bible...right at the start...."In The Big Inning..."**

...groan... Funny though.

Nice story on Schilling helping out a family of 9 from N.O. - yah, you can rank on G38 all you want but the dude puts his $$ where is mouth is.

Hmmm - wonder what our faves on the MFYs are doing to help out those in need? Jeter? A-Fraud? Maybe they'll have a circle jerk with each other to raise money. Hey, about Sheffield and Giambi? Maybe they'll donate some money earmarked for their weekely steroid fix for the hurricane victims? I heard Bellhorn is just going to stare dumbfounded into space and strike out.

[COD]

Actually, Giambi has anted up.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/12564828.htm

[AJM]

pawsoxpop:

"CHB" was coined when Everett launched a clubhouse tirade at Gordon Edes, who was trying to do a post-game interview; I believe it was because of something Edes had written about him a little earlier in the season. When Everett was finished ripping into Edes, he told him (paraphrasing): "and that goes for your Curly Haired Boyfriend too!!" Thus, the legend was born; amazing how quickly it caught on. Shaugnessy himself references it in this article from a year ago:
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2004/09/09/theyre_letting_their_hair_down/

[Jason O.]

scott, you're as ignorant of the facts as you are lame.
Read the team press releases:

9/1: Yankees organization (not the players) donates $1 million to Katrina relief effort.
9/1: Red Sox announce collaboration with Red Cross, including:
Autographs for charity, signed Harleys and clothing drives...

Do you think $1 million on 9/1 has faster impact that a series of autograph sessions and other ongoing events? Did I mention that the evil Steinbrenner also gave $1m immediately to tsunami relief?

Both Red Sox players and Yankees players are doing admirable things: On their own. The teams are quite different.

Asshole.

[scott12xu]

Aw geez, littlebri Jr returns...

I was making a joke of the MFYs behavior and alleged steroid use, etc etc etc. Settle down. Christ, you don't like my comments, ignore it and look away. Lay off the espresso. I'm here to have fun at the expense of the MFY and NYC in general.

[Jason O.]

No, if I don't like your comments I'll reply with facts...and then you'll fold like a $2 suitcase, as was the case a few minutes ago.

[h.b.]

Out of curiosity, who are the evangelical Christians among the Yankees. Rivera, right? And Posada, too. Others?

[Huh?]

Do $2 suitcases fold differently or more quickly than more expensive suitcases? Is this something I don't know about?

[Bob]

I believe $210,000,000 suitcases fold the fastest.

[Kaz]

Let's talk facts, then. I don't know how Ortiz can be "the only Red Sox worthy of MVP consideration" given that his and Manny's stats are nearly identical straight down the line. And if Ortiz is worthy of consideration, then Johnny must be too. JD puts up 30 more points in BA, 40% less strikeouts, and nearly the same total bases as Ortiz...with 6 triples and 14 SBs on top of that!

JD and Ortiz have the same number of Runs (JD gets on base, Ortiz homers them both in or pushes JD in and Manny homers Ortiz in). All three of them have a very similar batting line and perform their roles better than most any other team's leadoff hitter or clean-up power hitter.

As for JD or Ortiz (or even Manny) as MVP, it's hard to argue against A-Rod's numbers and even when you do, there's also Young and Teixeira to consider too. It'll come down to whose team gets it done in the end as to whether any one of the five (or six) stands out for season MVP. Given the fact that the MFY pitching has given up the ghost so many times this year but their batting has held the win...in the truest sense of the word "valuable", the award goes to Slappy. Fortunately, even the Red Sox have their own pitching issues and so holding the pennant AND saving the bullpen through better hitting is more "valuable" than a $200+ million wild-card berth...advantage JD/Ortiz/Manny (can we just hand out 3 co-MVP trophies?).

[Jason O.]

scott, take some notes: Bob's comment was funny.
Misguided and simple, of course, but funny.

HB: were your parents big Melville or London fans? Your name sounds straight out of an 1847 Nantucket whaling story.

I'm not sure how many evil theocratic evangelical Christians there are on the Yankees, but I'm sure they'll go back to their evil plans to take over the United States with George W. Bush as soon as they're done pouring their hearts out in NO.

I heard there were prayer services in federally funded relief centers in Houston...I hope the ACLU sues immediately, or church/state separation is going to come crashing down.

[pawsoxpop]

Thanks for the link, AJM. As for the MVP award, Jason, I don't see how it would be a "joke" for Johnny to get the MVP award. But don't worry about the MVP, I'm sure your boy Alex will get it, just like he did with Texas the last time his team didn't make the playoffs. He's great that way.

[Devine]

I think you can make a good case for JD right now, but I'd probably give it to Ortiz or Manny over him. A-Rod's numbers are sick, though. We'll see where everything stands in about 26 days.

I don't think it will be settled until season's end. And I'm still very scared of the MFY, so I don't like hearing talk of wild cards or pennants just yet. They aren't gone until they're mathematically eliminated and they're quite far from that just now. If the Angels and A's continue to tear each other to pieces and if Cleveland just goes ahead and gives up the ghost, then I'd breathe a little easier knowing the wild card was there if things go wrong in the division. On the other hand, that would mean the Yankees were the favorite for the wild card and I do not want to see them in the postseason, both to celebrate their demise and to not see the Sox (possibly) face a hard-hitting team that's certainly capable of winning a series.

[Jason O.]

I hear what you're saying Kaz, and I think the benchmarks for the award are ambiguous, unless you have a Ted Williams .406/Ruth 60hr kind of year, i.e., far and away the best performance.

It becomes an argument for which stats you think are more important..in your case, BA, SB and 3Bs among others.

Father James tells us that SBs have very little impact on runs scored unless you're some kind of Rickey-esque stealing freak, and 3B is a function of speed. Batting average is somewhat important, but Ichiro, Melvin Mora and other contact hitters don't create a hell of a lot of runs.

I don't have the time to check Damon vs. Ortiz on Lee Sinis's runs created above average...but then you might not think sabermetrics account for Damon's full contribution.

I just think that in general that a productive 3 or 4 hitter is going to be more valuable than a leadoff man, unless you're dealing with outliers like Rickey or a few of Lofton's years with Cleveland.

[scott12xu]

**Out of curiosity, who are the evangelical Christians among the Yankees. Rivera, right? And Posada, too. Others? **

How about current MLB players who are outside of the Judeo-Christian scheme of religion? I had heard Halama (now with the Nationals) is a practicing Buddhist - any truth to that?

Are there any players who refuse to work on their Sabbath? (i.e. Sandy Koufax not pitching on Saturdays b/c he was an Orthadox Jew). I think there are some Mormons in MLB, right?

[bosoxed]

.406 didnt guarantee anything. if im not mistaken, joltin' joe won it that year(56 straight). A-rods #'s are big time, but if someone gets hot and pulls his team, that will tip the vote.(Vlad)