Cruuuuuuuuuise

Mike:
You know, as much as I love a taut right down to the last at bat it could go eithah way baseball game, there's something to be said to be said for these up 6 nil aftah the first affaihs.

 

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Doug:
Hell yeah there is. Sometimes you just want kick back and chill like you're Al Gore the 3rd in the HOV lane bogahting the chronic.

 

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Mike:
The only slight downah is seeing Ellsbury get shipped back down to Pawtucket.

 

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Doug:
Yeah, well, that's what we get for being dedicated to the Red Sox but not getting his first name right. Fucking kahma. The bitch.

 

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Comments

[buckner was framed]

Jake will be back by the end of the month. Just as soon as they trade Wily Mo and Pineiro for a middle reliever

[Bob]

I think we should start calling Jacoby "Papa Roach."

[IkeG]

Hope we can remain en fuego against los Tigres.

Happy (and lucky) 7-7-07 to all!

[Griffin]

I'm a huge Ellsbury fan, but Francona's right: "...I'd be very surprised if you see Jacoby Ellsbury be a part-time player in Boston at this juncture of his career. That's not in his best interests. For three or four days, sure. But not for a couple of months."

Even if WMP is dealt at the deadline, I can't seen Ellsbury being called up to occupy the end of the bench. He'll be back - and get much more playing time - when the rosters expand in September. What's important right now is that he plays every day. He's only been in AAA for a couple of months; the best thing for his development is for him to be playing every day.

[louclinton]

Jacoby will be back. He has gamer written all over him.

lc

ps hb. site is loading slow.

[buckner was framed]

Griff, you're right, of course- I've just never been a big WiMP fan. Good risk, but obviously didn't pan out they way they had planned. He certainly isn't the Manny-in-waiting Theo had hoped for. On a brighter note, how sweet is it that Okie was duly rewarded for his great first half?

[Chris]

I see Ellsbury as a part-timer for us, especially after last night. With his wheels, I'd be perfectly happy if he could be this season's Dave Roberts.

[pinstripe thunder]

Apparently Cincinnati's felons have graduated from pro football to the Circuit Court of Appeals. Based on today's ruling, y'think maybe Julia Smith Gibbons likes the idea of tag teaming with Clarence T for SCOTUS cage fights? She got da look, and she just outdid current SCOTUS on the stupid meter, so she has all the requisite qualifications. Love to see HER chasing after Jacob-y Ellsbur-y...

[Sonoma Sox]

Seems like Theo et al are looking for a closer to take the middle relief role for the team, re: Gagne, Otsunaka, Lidge.

Not sure if anyone out there gives me confidence in the middle innings - guess need more 1st inning grannies.

Scott Williamson is free again if anyone is looking to bring back that '03 crowd

[Matt]

This was a good series for Ellsbury to play in, against an AAAA team. Remember, he began the year in Portland and still needs some good AAA seasoning. He'll be up in September for sure.

[Natalie]

//Sometimes you just want kick back and chill like you're Al Gore the 3rd in the HOV lane bogahting the chronic.//

hb- thanks for the Diet coke spit take. Hilarious.

Sad to see Ellsbury head back down 95, but he's a lock for September. I just hope this means those rumors for Buerhle are dead... (About face alert!) I'd like to keep our youngsters around for a bit.

That said, the WiMP era can end... Pretty please? With sugar on top?

[buckner was framed]

Totally agree, Nat. At this point Murphy brings more to the table than WiMP, and could bridge the gap until Sept 1, when our man Jacoby WILL be this year's Roberts
btw, was at the 7/4 game... Speaking of speed, Covelli sure motored around on his leadoff triple, and Cora! Cora! Cora! with the squeeze... Sooo nice to have a multi-dimensional team to root for

[Kaz]

Point of debate for the weekend:

Is the 2007 Red Sox Team Chemistry better, worse, or the same as the 2004 Red Sox Team Chemistry?

[IkeG]

Hard to tell, Kaz. Right about this time of the season the 2004 chemistry was not so good. I don't see these guys doing shots before the game, but they seem to get along OK.

[louclinton]

bwf: good point about the squeeze on 7/4..I was startled beyond words. It was odd timing though? First inning no one out? 90% of the time the runner will score in that situation in the ordinary course of things.

As for chemistry..I don't really see it. Remember 04 built on 03 [cowboy up and all that]. Those teams had some genuine knuckleheads in the clubhouse see eg Millar DLowe JohnNY.

enjoy the weekend.

lc

[IkeG]

True enough, lc. Knuckleheadedness probably had to reign, considering recent and not-so-recent history at the time.

I forget ... what was the final verdict on Lowe's "gesture" toward the A's dugout when he saved game 5 of the '03 ALDS? Was it pretty much certain that he was making the "suck it" sign?

[h.b.]

Going completely from gut, as I really have no clue what things are really like between these guys, I'd argue that the chemistry is BETTER today than in 2004.

The reason I think that is that my own fan chemistry is better today than it was in 04 and I suspect the same is true for you.

In 04 they needed all that head shaving, shot doing, bonding excercises as a way to cope with the enormity of the situation.

They had to manufacture the "Cowboy Up" mythology because they had nothing else except "cursed" mythologies.

This team, however, is beyond all that. They don't need to do anything besides play baseball.

I see a much more relaxed, focused, confident team now than I did in 04.

Of course, I could merely be projecting my own feelings.

[yazbread]

Spur of the moment decision. Decided to catch the Sunday game in Detroit with Mothra pitching. Tickets via Stubhub. A fool and his money. But I haven't been to a Sox game since '05 so ...

[Kaz]

Agreed, h.b. I took that same line of thinking when discussing with my friends and they disagreed. They felt that without a Millar cut-up, the chemistry is not as good.

But I'm looking at Manny petting Tavarez, wearing Papi shoes, the bullpen boys playing with Okajima's warmup stick, and the way they greet each other after good and bad hits in the dugout and it just looks like they're really appreciating their playtime with each other a lot more.

[buckner was framed]

Manny petting Tavarez had to one of the best, funniest but most genuine things I have ever seen. AND no rumblings of trade demands out of the LF, either

[Bob]

Wonder what it's like petting a bat? Furry or slimy?

Hey yazbread, what do Sox/Tigers tix go for in Detroit?

[yazbread]

Bob - I am embarassed to say. $127 for infield boxes behind the Tiger dugout. Everyone please hold the criticism of my foolishness - I want to minimize my buyer's remorse.

[soxdownunder]

Yazbread, you should see what mine cost if you include the 'plane fares.

In LA missing Boston & Sydney in turns.

Try this nice photo of Manny being cute last night:
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/soxdownunder/WASTHATAWHIMPERORABANGSOXDEMOLISHDRAYS/photo#5083921399286278498

Oh, and I sat in the rain til the very end.

[Bob]

Nice fireworks pics, too, SDU.

[yazbread]

SDU, I have enjoyed your pictures. Curious as to what you are using for a camera and len.

[SinKC]

If Theo's looking for a middle reliever, he could do worse than to pluck one from the team here.

Greinke's been afreakingmazing since being moved to the bullpen. In his last nine appearances (19 IP), he's got a 0.95 ERA.

Oh, and ... hi, all. Interesting summer here. Sometimes in the Chinese sense.

P.S. Buckner's made a Mass. wine fan here in the heartland. Still haven't cracked the cranberry (saving it for fall, I think), but the blended white was really good with a mixed grill of pheasant and bison.

[soxdownunder]

Yazbread - I don't really know what this means but it is a fairly simple digital camera with a fairly strong zoom. It's a 'Canon Power Shot A 710IS' and the lens says '5.8-34.8mm 1:2 8-4.8'. I dunno if that means much to you but it means nothin to me. It was about A$500 in Australia a couple of months ago. I don't know how the Manny picture happened - it just did.
Yours in technological ignorance,
sdu

[soxdownunder]

Hey SinKC, I was thinking of you and some past posts the other day when I read this in a book recommended by HB:

"It amazed him how ignorant modern players were about geography. Of course, it also amazed him how ignorant many modern baseball players were about the game of baseball, and they played baseball for a living, so perhaps he shouldn't have found their lack of geographical erudition so astonishing.

Still, for example, a number of them could simply never understand why the hotel and airport and the stadium in Kansas City were not in Kansas. Of course, there were somne who didn't know that there was a state of Kansas, so that idiosyncrasy was of no conflict for them."

'The Entitled' by Frank Deford.

[Thanks for the good tip HB]

[SinKC]

It's not just ballplayers.

A few years back, I went to see Mick Taylor (ex-Stones) at a club in KCMO.

(I won a year-long pass for two in a Halloween costume contest, for dressing as the guy in Munch's "The Scream." But I digress.)

Taylor's road manager comes out to introduce him, and the first thing out of his mouth was:

"Helloooooooooooooo, Kansas."

Deafening silence.

Someone in crowd:

"This is Missouri, you @#$$%%$."

Road manager:

"Right, um ... Here's Mick."

In the guy's defense, he was English.

[soxdownunder]

Heh! - too many good drugs in the sixties also perhaps, or senility?

Go Batshit!

PS The White Sox have scored 10 runs through 8. Trouble is the Twinkies have scored 20!! And I thought last night was funny.

[SinKC]

Was thinking about you the other day too, SDU.

My son's been accepted into the strolling orchestra at his high school (he starts this fall), and their trip next summer (next winter, in that hemisphere) is to Australia.

As he likes to put it:

"We're going to play at the Sydney Opera House."

(beat)

"OK, so we're just playing on the steps, but ..."

[soxdownunder]

Let me know when it's on - I'll go and check out his form. Some pretty good bands have played on the steps btw.

[SinKC]

Will do.

He's excited. I would be, too. I've never been there, although I plan to someday.

Keeping my fingers crossed for Beijing next year, in the interim.

Did get a week in Mexico with a house-building crew last month, though. That was an eye-opener.

[Sonoma Sox]

"Buckner's made a Mass. wine fan here"

Gotta give more info on that SinKC...while we aren't as pretentious as our county neebs, our wine is pretty good. And I've had some NE wine - Parsons Family back in my hometown - York, ME - damn that stuff sucked.

Buckner, SinKC pass along your info - I'm curious. Would love to shove another superior NE local product in the face of Californians.

[SinKC]

I don't have all the info here at my fingertips, but email me (name is the link) and I'll send later.

Short version:

What I had was light and sweetish. Not all that complex, but it did play well with dinner that night. The bison and pheasant were both pretty strongly flavored (I used the wine as part of the marinade for the former, along with grape jelly and brown mustard), so I didn't try to match strength with strength with a big red.

Will it convert California aficionados? Who knows? Was it a pleasant experience that I'd repeat? Absolutely. And that's what wine is supposed to be, in my book.

Still got the cranberry on the rack, will be popping that with a pork roast (or maybe roast chicken or turkey) once the weather cools a bit.

[buckner was framed]

SinKC- glad you liked it. And that mixed grill sounded mighty tasty. It's been a while since I've had bison. Thanks should go to Mr G38 himself, however, since he was the one who sucked Royally and caused me to lose the bet in the first place ;-)
Sonoma-
Plymouth Bay Winery
I think it was the Drydock White that I sent, but maybe it was the Widow's Walk. KC, care to help me remember?

[buckner was framed]

(thanks Kaz- I owe you one)

[junior]

In the spirit of Soxdownunder, Kaz and BWF revealing their true identities, I want to put it out there for discussion that HB is Theo Epstein

[bosoxed]

here's a good one for geography- a kid from our high school is playing ball at OklahomaSU and is in the jock dorm- the guys are talking one night, and some one says that alaska is off the coast of florida- arguments ensue- the kid goes and gets a book to prove it- and points on the page to the box with alaska next to florida- case closed.