You gotta get that dirt off your shoulder
Marty:
Hey, Callaghan, if you need a shoulder to cry on, I want you to know I'm always here for you, man.
Bill:
Yeah, hats off to your Yankees, Marty. You guys are like the Faye Dunaways of baseball. You're like 100 years old but, through the miracle of science, you manage to fake it.
Marty:
Ah, Billy boy, two words for you: Melky Cabrera. Think about it. A rookie from our much maligned farm system comes up and gets 4 RBI.
Marty:
Meanwhile, your so-called "Mr Clutch" goes 0-fer, all on whiffs, including a bases loaded rally killer in the 8th?
Bill:
I can't believe you just spun the karma wheel by dissing Big Papi in May, Marty, May. You know that shit's gonna come back and haunt your ass come October.
Marty:
Karma? Haunting? Curses? Jeez, it's good to know winning a World Series hasn't changed anything for you Sawx fans. Whenever I hear you guys talk it sounds like a bunch crystal wearing wiccan hags at Goddess convention in Santa Fe.
Bill:
Yeah, funny, how things have changed for "youseguys" though, huh? I mean there was a time when Yankees fans would have too much pride to get excited about taking 2 of 3 in Fenway in May. That '04 choke job really fucked with your heads I guess.
Marty:
Look. You had a chance to put a vulnerable and weakened opponent away, but you just couldn't do it. Your Sawx just don't have the killer instinct. Never had, never will.
Bill:
Hey, Narcissa, newsflash, it isn't about you anymore. We're going to lose a few home series during the season, may even get swept on occasion. Could be by the Yankees, could be by Tampa Bay. Whatev. Dirt off the shouldah.
Marty:
You're in denial, Callaghan.
Bill:
By the way, Marts, last time I checked the Red Sox are still up 4-3 going against the Yankees and are still in first place.
Marty:
Better make the most of it while you can, Callaghan, because it won't last.
Great strip. Marty is FANTASTIC. Taht other guy (and many others I suspect) is whistling in the dark...
Posted by: BB | 2006.05.25 at 09:19 AM
BB's back. Bri you've been strangely quiet the last couple of weeks.
Posted by: harwich rich | 2006.05.25 at 09:34 AM
Great. Marty and Big Bri on the same day. Fortunately, they're both going to die of colon cancer (ferrets can cause that ya know).
Posted by: Bob | 2006.05.25 at 09:35 AM
Venting in 3.....2.....1....
I was there last night, Loge 161, Row BB...GREAT seats. Manny's in the first sounded like a gunshot, and was out of the yard in a nano-second. From where we sat it looked over the light tower..had to be close to 500'. Plus RJ looked like Shaq had just given him a prostate exam.....he is cooked.
That said there is only one reason our boys lost....#30. Lowell's error, Wily Mo not taking home on the passed ball were not the determining factors. Ortiz gets to play with house money here...he'll be fine. A Golden Sombrero (4Ks in one game) might just get him pissed, and God help the D-Rays.
Clement accomplished something last night I would have though impossible. He sucked the life out of Fenway, in a Sox-Yanks game. The house was rockin' after Manny, then comes the inevitable 0-2 count, then nibbling, then 3-2, then ball four. Hitting the immortal Kelly Stinnet, he of the lusty .189 ave w/the bags full set me over the edge. Clement is un-fucking-watchable. The place was eerily quiet at time, save for the cursing. I'm not a knee-jerk reactionary.....this guy has sucked for almost a year now, and we're stuck w/him.
But, it is May, and with only 2 dependable starters, our leadoff guy out almost 8 weeks resulting in a thinner lineup than we're used to, you are right as usual h.b., we're in 1st.
Posted by: GaryGeiger | 2006.05.25 at 10:30 AM
Clement actually drove me away from that game in the 5th (he nearly drove me away in the 2nd, too). I was just too tired and angry to keep watching at that point. I tuned back just in time to see Manny hit another rocket in the 7th. Then tuned in again to see Loretta's at-bat and the ultimate downer follow-up of Ortiz's looking K.
Way to go, Clement. You outsucked Randy Johnson...which is rapidly becoming a pretty difficult thing to do. I'm not a knee-jerk reactionary, either. The man has got to go (I reserve the right to praise him if he suddenly comes to life in late September or anytime in October--but I seriously doubt it).
Posted by: Devine | 2006.05.25 at 10:46 AM
In the top of the first, the camera focused on Clement in the dugout and he ALREADY looked defeated. Hadn't even thrown a pitch yet but it looked as if he'd just given up back to back bombs or something.
I had a really bad feeling as soon as I saw that.
And, well, there you fucking go...
Posted by: h.b. | 2006.05.25 at 10:52 AM
In regards to the Sox game, I was placated by the fact that last night's Lost season finale was the best episode since "Psalm 23". Desmond is ten times as hardcore as I thought he was.
Posted by: DenverSoxFan | 2006.05.25 at 11:01 AM
Not that it ultimately mattered, but WTF was up with Loretta going for second (and being thrown out by a mile) in the first? That was crappy baserunning. Nobody out, you've got Papi and Manny coming up, a man already on third, and you're taking a stupid gamble like that? Cost us a run, that's for sure.
Posted by: Bob | 2006.05.25 at 11:03 AM
I love Desmond.
But what the fuck is up with the phone call to his long lost chick at the end?
And the statue? Shit.
Never had a show leave me so confused yet so entertained.
Posted by: h.b. | 2006.05.25 at 11:06 AM
Ahh, its a good thing we had sooo much pitching we could trade away a guy who becomes an ace on another staff. Clement has given me heartburn for a year!!!
Posted by: vasoxfan | 2006.05.25 at 11:07 AM
Gary, "Hitting the immortal Kelly Stinnet, he of the lusty .189 ave w/the bags full" - hilarious.
I was glad to see Ortiz choke, and glad to see Manny being, uh, A-Rod (huge hits when they don't matter, by the standard set by many here). And sure, glad to see our jv squad take two of three in Fenway.
But I am not optimistic about these Yankees. Ortiz will come around and will be a Yankee killer late in the Fall. Manny is hot as hell and he's going to have a dynamite season. And despite how this series turned out, I feel like the Sox have a mental edge and own the Yanks right now. There was a time when I would have said the opposite - not now. I think the Yanks need to make some changes if they want to even make the postseason.
Posted by: Billy Mahty | 2006.05.25 at 11:16 AM
Loretta's wall-baller was bobbled in the outfield; generally when baserunners see that, they'll get aggressive.
Loretta, like Lowell the previous night (went into a home run trot on a wall-scraper), is still learning what the wall's all about. From what I've heard, it takes at least a half-season to get adjusted to it.
As for Clement, he struggled last night, but the Sox were still in a position to win in the late innings (overlooked good job by the bullpen - props especially to Seanez and Foulke). The Sox couldn't get the big hit when they needed it, so I don't put all the blame on Clement.
And Clement does NOT flat-out suck. Please. Two of his previous three outings (vs. Toronto 6 IP; 2 H; 1 R and vs. Philly) were solid wins. His problem is consistency and control of a couple of difficult pitches (the sinker and the slider). He loses them high, and all hell breaks loose.
He's a good guy, and I'm rooting for him.
Posted by: Griffin | 2006.05.25 at 11:17 AM
//its a good thing we had sooo much pitching we could trade away a guy who becomes an ace on another staff//
Yes, I'm sure if Bronson Arroyo was still pitching in the AL East he'd be doing the EXACT same thing.
And it's not like Wily Mo Pena is making any difference or anything. Willie Harris would be just fine!
Posted by: Griffin | 2006.05.25 at 11:20 AM
Yeah...Ortiz's Golden Sombrero last night was a rare, rare treat for this Yankee fan, and I expect it to be repeated about as often as a solar eclipse. In my experience at least, Ortiz is, was, and I expect will remain the biggest Yankee killer on the Sox.
Posted by: Dave S. | 2006.05.25 at 11:26 AM
I feel the same way, HB. Sometimes I'm pissed when the show ends with a major cliffhanger, but last night's ep was so good that I didn't care and was actually cheering with my friends when Penelope got that phone call.
At least now we know they're not in an alternate dimension, or Purgatory.
Posted by: DenverSoxFan | 2006.05.25 at 11:40 AM
Dave S. & BM: It was I think in the second, and RJ was giving back the lead, Jeter starting in to talk to RJ, who wheeled and walked away from DJ. I mean it was visible! Then there was that creepy group hug they had when Torre came out. What is it with Johnson...is he just a tool? They must love RJ in the clubhouse. There are Yanks I do have tons of respect for: Jeter, Bernie, even jug-eared Posada and Rivera. Mo was throwing in the outfield before the game and I was watching, just about over his shoulder, and the guy is so smooth, no wasted motion.
Yes, the East has improved to the point where even Tampa is no longer a pushover. Central Div teams get to beat up KC 19 times a year......seems that the odds of the wild card coming from the central is a real possibility.
Posted by: GaryGeiger | 2006.05.25 at 11:42 AM
As someone who liked the Pena/Arroyo trade a lot at the time, I'm not going to second guess it now; and as was pointed out above I doubt Ol' Saturn Balls would be having this level of success if he were still pitching in the AL East. Clearly being away from the BU co-eds hasn't hurt him at all. But the current situation does point out how quickly pitching depth can evaporate. And the mix has certainly changed quite a bit. Back in the spring, I was still assuming that Papelbon would end up the fifth starter after Wells was traded, and that we'd cross our fingers w/Foulke as the closer, with Hansen hopefully ready to take over sooner rather than later. Papelbon's effectiveness closing has been a very pleasant surprise, and now it looks like, barring a trade or a Rocket Re-entry, Hansen might end up in the rotation by the break. We certainly need to address the 4-5 slots one way or another, though.
Posted by: AJM | 2006.05.25 at 11:43 AM
I was "watching" the game online via ESPN Gamecast, way out here in misty Seattle, and even I could feel the crowd deflating as Clement "pitched." When I saw his pitch count at 82 after four innings, and us up only 5-4 despite getting nine hits off The Eunuch, I knew we were in trouble. (On the plus side, the bullpen pitched 4.2 scoreless.)
Out of all the many confusing elements on last night's season finale, the most head-scratching for me was when they saw the huge four-toed statue leg on the shore. My immediate reaction was "ok, did we just take a wrong turn and sail to Middle Earth?" And then, in true Lost fashion, they never mentioned it again.
Posted by: Aaron | 2006.05.25 at 11:44 AM
I love how this baseball blog doubles as a hidden Lost blog...though I don't watch it myself, I appreciate the odd pairing.
Yeah, Gary, RJ has done everything he can to make Yankee fans dislike him, from his inconsistency to his inexplicable behavior towards his own team. He does get some points for coming up big a few times last year...that 1-0 game against the Knucklah last year was pretty epic...as well as for insisting on trotting out there every start...at least the guy's durable. But overall, I'm really down on him. Apart from his obvious and total suckitude these last 5 weeks, you think about what the Yanks gave up for him...effectively everyone who went to the Expos for Vazquez went for Johnson, (including Nick Johnson), then Halsey, I think Navarro too, plus a load of cash and the agreement to keep signed through '07. To me, it's the hardest part of being a Yankee fan...the combined outrageous $$$ spend on over-the-hills and youth-talent drain that has been the hallmark of these past 6 years. I get tired of the constant "Yankee$ $uck!" assaults because they're honestly pretty indefensible, and it's not even like the Yanks are anywhere near maximizing the value on what they do spend.
I don't think it's any coincidence that the Yanks you site having respect for a from the last true crop of home-grown Yanks...Jeter, Bernie, Jorge and Rivera. The Yanks have become a sort of Frankenteam. You may be seeing, Cashman now having greater authority, a bit of a return in that the Yanks have Wang, Cano and now Cabrera as real, homegrown contributors who could actually have an impact for a long time. But it's going to take many, many years to clean out the stables of all of bloated nonsense the Yanks are packing.
But hey, what the hell can I do? It's in my blood. Some of my first memories are of my dad jumping up and down during the championship years in the late 70's, listening to Phil Rizutto's "Holy Cow!" on WPIX. I'm gonna love 'em no matter what.
Posted by: Dave S. | 2006.05.25 at 12:26 PM
I'm gonna love 'em no matter what.
Exactly. That's one of the things that binds Red Sox and Yankees fans. It's in our blood.
Posted by: h.b. | 2006.05.25 at 12:29 PM
//listening to Phil Rizutto's "Holy Cow!" on WPIX//
I miss the Scooter a good deal. He once signed an autograph for me in the Stadium players' lot, and even called me a huckleberry. Yeah, he was a total Yankee homer in the booth, and would miss plays because he was busy giving tomato sauce recipes, but there was something very endearing about the total Scooter package...in sharp contrast to that complete tool Michael Kay in the Yanks' booth today.
Posted by: AJM | 2006.05.25 at 12:34 PM
AJM, you should be shot for mentioning the Scooter and Kay in the same post.
Honestly, I can't listen to the game when he's calling it. I turn off the sound and listen to music. Thankfully, he doesn't call 100% of the games. The best booth combo for YES is Kaat and Singleton. Kaat's stories are a little hackneyed, but he knows pitching, and Singleton knows hitting.
Posted by: Dave S. | 2006.05.25 at 12:43 PM
Was it the go-ahead homer, the go-ahead run off his leadoff double (though he should have stayed at 3rd), or the put-us-in-striking-distance home run that you'd dub un-clutch Mahty?
Frankly, the A-Rod not-clutch stuff is overblown and the smart Sox fan (h.b.) knows it. Last year's homer off Schilling-as-closer...clutch. This year's go-ahead homer off Schilling after he struck out the first two hitters (in the 5th?), opening the door for Posada's homer...clutch. One day, he'll do it in October (maybe the year they suspend Steinbrenner again), and that particular gorilla will be gone.
He still seems like kind of a whiny, insecure guy, though. I don't like certain Sox players' attitudes, so I don't feel remiss in criticizing that particular Yankee. Schilling (blowhard), Sheffield (prick), Jeter (smug), Clement (defeatist), Tavarez (crazy), A-Rod (whiny). It's a real "pick your @$$hole" cavalcade here on Sox-Yankees.
Posted by: Devine | 2006.05.25 at 12:45 PM
Like everyone else, I started getting apoplectic when Clement started walking people in the second.
Not being a "Lost" fan, I took solace in the excellent Mavs-Suns game. Steve Nash was amazing.
I think the Sox will right the ship, but right about now I'm wishing it was Clement we had dealt to the Reds instead of Brandon...
Posted by: pawsoxpop | 2006.05.25 at 12:49 PM
Sorry about that, Dave...I was only looking to praise the Scooter. Funny how I've yet to meet even a Yankee fan who likes Kay.
I like Kitty Kaat, and even O'Neill, but not Singleton. Frankly, I felt the Frank Messer/Bill White/Scooter team in the 70's was fantastic.
Posted by: AJM | 2006.05.25 at 01:07 PM
Hate to say it, but you are seeing the same Clement I saw for 3 yrs w/the Cubs. Same sorry-ass, hangdog look, same inconsistency. He can suck you in with a couple solid outings.........then he just sucks. 2nd half of the season.....forget it.
Posted by: tl | 2006.05.25 at 01:15 PM
You know your Yankee announcers, AJM. You in the NYC metro area?
Surprisingly, I actually do know a few people who like Kay. They tend to represent the sort of anti-SABR block of Yankee fandom, and definitely like to wrap themselves in the (can it be called?) comfort of his nasally, unabashed and homeristic game calling. Kay's radio show is a disaster, too. Strangely, he's good at interviewing people, and Centerstage is a surprisingly good show.
Posted by: Dave S. | 2006.05.25 at 01:17 PM
"Was it the go-ahead homer, the go-ahead run off his leadoff double (though he should have stayed at 3rd), or the put-us-in-striking-distance home run that you'd dub un-clutch Mahty?"
Well, you could hardly call a homer in the first or a double in the third "clutch." And "put-us-striking-distance" will never be good enough for the A-Rod critics.
"Frankly, the A-Rod not-clutch stuff is overblown.." That's my point.
I hear ya on the a-hole factor.
Gary - yeah, that moment with Johnson was weird. He not only turned his back on Jeter but on Torre as well. It was basically like, "Yeah, whatever, I don't want to hear it." Johnson is a primadonna. He deserves credit for once being a great pitcher, but he's just good now. If I were Torre I would chew him out for that moment last night.
Posted by: Billy Mahty | 2006.05.25 at 01:33 PM
//You know your Yankee announcers, AJM. You in the NYC metro area?//
Yep, grew up in Fairfield County watching WPIX. I remember Messer in particular as a very good, underappreciated baseball analyst who also was a perfect foil for Rizzuto.
Actually, now that I think about it, I guess "Marty" would be the kind of Yankee fan who would like Kay.
Posted by: AJM | 2006.05.25 at 01:40 PM
That game was pure vintage 2004, complete with D-Lowe-style meltdown on the mound after adversity and the game coming down to a strikeout in the 8th. Thing is, though, it's not 2004 any more. Winning the WS in Boston means that we can expect a team that either puts things away or gets put away on any given night - not one that leaves things in the balance until there are three outs left in the game. It makes for exciting baseball (I felt as worked up watching Papi bat in the 8th as I did during Game 4 or 5), but this team should be beyond those situations now. And if Clement hadn't had two meltdowns on the mound, we wouldn't be having this discussion.
Posted by: Eric Hanson | 2006.05.25 at 01:42 PM
Congratulations are in order for our GM:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/05/25/this_pitch_was_a_game_winner/
Posted by: AJM | 2006.05.25 at 02:07 PM
"Actually, now that I think about it, I guess "Marty" would be the kind of Yankee fan who would like Kay."
Marty is one of HB's more genius characters, in that he perfectly encompasses all the preening, gloating, know-it-all smugness of those Yankee fans most despised by RSN. You can be sure that Marty loves Kay.
Posted by: Dave S. | 2006.05.25 at 02:08 PM
Watched the game in a D.C. Sox-friendly bar and gotta tip my cap to Joe Torre. Unlike Francoma, I thought he used pitchers shrewdly -- I was hoping to see Jermaine Van Buren in the 2nd as Clement scuffled. Even Melky came up big and avenged his earlier gaffes... and fuqqin Farnsworth instead of Villone vs Papi proved wise as well. But ain't no thang. I'll be in the dreaded tier when the Sox are in da Bronx in 2 weeks and we'll see what Coco Crispy does to liven up this matchup. Go Sox...
Posted by: NYSoxfan | 2006.05.25 at 02:12 PM
NYSoxFan wins the "so off the wall it could actually be brilliant" award with his praise of Torre's bullpen use.
Rest assured, NY, that a sizeable subset of Yankees fans strenuously diasgree with that assessment.
Actually, Fenway security should be admonished for letting that otherwise alluring woman with writhing snakes for hair into the ballpark, because Ortiz caught a glimpse of her just as Farnsworth was delivering that curve.
Posted by: Jason O. | 2006.05.25 at 02:19 PM
Was it just me or was anyone else watching ESPN willing to rip their teeth out to make the announcers shut the fuck up about Randy Johnson being over-the-hill the inning he remembers how to strike out the side? My God, it was cruel and unusable....
Posted by: tessie | 2006.05.25 at 02:21 PM
I might need to watch another reply - but my memory of that curveball was that it was rather high in the zone, and probably should have been deposited in the center field bleachers.
Maybe Ortiz was just shell shocked that Farnsworth threw him such a meatball. The problem for Farnsworth is that only works once.
Posted by: COD | 2006.05.25 at 02:29 PM
It only had to work once. If Farnsworth faces Ortiz again, I'll be surprised.
Wait, Joe Torre's the manager? Farnsworth is now guaranteed to face Ortiz again.
Posted by: Jason O. | 2006.05.25 at 02:41 PM
Nice posts by many today. It's cool when Sox and Yank fans can engage in some good natured ribbing, but talk intelligently about baseball.
h.b.= facilitator par excellance
Bumped (literally) into El Tiante as he walked in the gate by Remdawgs, he had a big smile and a "Hi Guy"...always liked Looie.
Plus my bud and I saw some hot girl on hot girl affection on our walk back to the Kenmore T.....that really took the sting out of the loss. Plus the 45 minutes stuck on the Pike from Newton to 495N didn't seem so bad with that image fresh in my mind!
Posted by: GaryGeiger | 2006.05.25 at 02:55 PM
...it's the little things, Gary, the simple pleasures!
Posted by: Dave S. | 2006.05.25 at 03:08 PM