Taking one (or more) for the team

You've got to wonder if the Red Sox players and management have any sense, any sense at all of what their fans have to endure after a series like that?

Marty:
[Singing to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle"]

Dwindle, dwindle, 8 game lead,/ Here come Yankees do take heed,

 

---

Marty:
Red Sux prowess such a lie,/ Dwindle, dwindle 8 game lead/ Here come Yankees do take heed.

 

---

Bill:
Oh, isn't that sweet, Mahty's learned to rhyme.

 

---

Marty:
Ah, Bill, could you lift your feet so I can sweep the floor, it's covered with the dust of so many broken dreams.

 

---

Bill:
While you've got your broom out, Mahts, don't forget to sweep undah the rug the fact that you're still 5 games in arrears.

 

---

Marty:
Hey, Bill, here's another lullabye for ya …

 

---

Marty:
Rock-a-bye, Red Sox, history's flops,/ When Yankees sweep the standings will rock,/ When the lead shrinks, the "Faithful" will bawl,/ And down will come Red Sox, losers they're called.

 

---

Comments

[soxdownunder]

Yankees Yankees make me sick,
Here is Marty: what a prick.
He would root for US Steel
Though the character are not real
Yankees Yankees make me sick,
Here is Marty: what a prick.

[Matt]

Joba Chamberlin = Ogie Oglethorpe

[Sox Fan in VA]

Arrgh, the murdering of classic nursery rhymes for Marty's own (illegitimate) ends, the horror. Thanks to SDU for ending them on a high note.

[Natalie]

Shaughnasty was just on Joe Scarbrough's show (I think that's a hell dimension) being all sanguine about the sweep, talking about how 2004 changed people's mindsets about the inevitability of a Sox collapse. I think I may have had a minor stroke--- PHB not curse-baiting? Next you'll be telling me Carl Everett is off on an archeological dig.

I see Marty is demonstrating Kaz's favorite type of Yankee fandom. It's nice that it kinda made me chuckle rather than want to heave my computer out the window towards Castle Island. God Bless the Idiots of 04.

I would now like to see Jobu come and take the curse off the Sox sick bats.

Happy Labor Day weekend, all.

[Deepsub]

On Shaughnessy, this whole season he's been pretty mellow, I am probably in the minority here as someone who still reads his articles.

Glad that series is over, that's all I'm gonna say. I think with all the extracurriculars that happened the last couple of days our boys might be a little more fired up when the MFY come to Fenway. I know Youk will.

[ParkerStPete]

Panel 2's missing a line, h.b., but maybe that's just Mahty's stupidity. How about "Skill on diamond... pie in sky."

[Bob]

Sometimes, I think H.B.'s choice of characters is just pure evil. I had to hear one-toothed, crypt-keeper Frank from the Trailor Park on EEI this morning (ever notice how he only calls when the Skanks do well? Typical Skank fan). Now I have to deal with Marty.

I'll take my medicine though. Mmmm, tastes like caffinated bile.

[louclinton]

Let's mix it up a bit. I'm sure PT won't catch on to this one either.

[to the tune of "My Name is Luka"]

My Name is Nancy
I live up on the 13th Floor

I’m the one you love to hate
Don’t want to be in Right Field no more

Ooh my back is kinda tight
Don’t want to strap it on tonight.

Don’t ask me what I’m playin’ for.
Double plays are what I’m livin’ for
Just don’t ask me anymore.

lc

[Jason O.]

Well done lc, high marks for selection/creativity.

You're daffy if you think Chamberlain was throwing at that bald guy who looks like a beaver is hanging off his chin.

Actually beaver on the chin is a good thing.

Oh!!! Tip your bartenders.

[ParkerStPete]

Humpty Tito
Sat on a fence
Humpty Tito
No common sense

All the relievers
From Eric to Jon
Couldn’t make Tito
Pick up the baton

[Scott]

How come this team didn't even try this series. Manny takes a day off and has the off day and is not ready to go for a very important series. WTF did he do with the time? Isn't it Francoma's responsibility to have his best players ready to go. The stinin Skankees had Jeter ready to go after his little injury.

Also all those hits off Becket? You think the Skanks watched some film? They were ready to go. The Red Sox must have been watching SuperBad or something else instead of getting ready to face the Yankee pitching staff. 0 runs yesterday? Way to go.

Also this JV lineup will NOT get it done come October. Mark my words.

All that was needed was 1 stinkin win out of 3. Couldn't even get that.

[vermonter]

Jason...please. As smart as you are I can't believe that you think that a guy with an ERA of zero accidentally threw two-in-a-row directly over Youk's head.

My take? He's a young kid who was overly excited to become part of all the Yanks-Sox stuff and made a bad decision.

Like Tito said, if he was looking to get our atention, he did a darn good job of it.

[jamesfrmmaine]

I thought he was throwing at youk because the series was pretty safely in the bag adn we had plunked arod on wednesday... just my two cents.

[zac]

Hey all, not a usual commenter here, but a regular fan of the strip.

1. The funny thing about seeing Marty this morning is that I was just thinking about him on Tuesday and how sweet it would be to sweep the series and savor his reaction. I guess I didn't think about the reverse.

2. Scott: Yup nothing wins games better than putting a hurt Manny in the lineup. He loves it.

[Kaz]

Baa, baa, Youkilis
Have you lost your cool?
Yes sir, yes sir
Hitting like JD Drew

Run off the base path
Pitched at his head
Wait until they play
at Fenway instead

Baa, baa, Youkilis
Have you lost your cool?
Yes sir, yes sir
PS - Hinske sucks too

[Jason O.]

hit=walk=hit by pitch

getting on base (as always) will be extremely important in the coming series, so by all means fire away, multiple times.

[vasoxfan]

h.b. et al,
Thank you so much for being here. I don't know about the rest of y'all but being able to laugh about the angst of being swept by the MFY. Really helps. Let's hope Pettite, Clamens, Hung shot their wad in this series. 1 win would have done it. Pray for Manny. Now all my Yankeee fan friends are all happy and shit.I hate seeing them that way.
New cheer for your Yankee friends.
Year 2000 - clap-clap-clap,clap,clap

[Michael in NJ]

My thanks to the New York Daily News, the best sports section in America, for alerting me to this site -- as if you needed another reason to hate the Yankees.

Natalie says, "I would now like to see Jobu come and take the curse off the Sox sick bats." No, it'll be JOBA coming and reinforcing the Curse of the Caveman. (Johnny Damon, in case you've forgotten.)

Scott wants to know if the Red Sox were watching "SuperBad." No, they WERE super-bad. Come to think of it, the fashions in that film do kinda resemble those of 1978, don't they? Just like this season resembles 1978.

Vasoxfan can chant "Year 2000" all he wants, but the Yanks are playing like 2000 was only yesterday, while the Sox are playing like 2004 was as long ago as 1918. Fine, do your chant for the next two months. Then we'll go back to chanting "2090." That's 2004 + 86 years. Only 83 more to go.

Look at the bright side, Sox fans: At least you don't have to wait for the return of San Pedro anymore. The Mutts, however... Looks like the Curse of Kevin Mitchell over there in aptly-named Flushing!

[h.b.]

Nothing we can do but take our licks today and make the best of it.

Glad it's a 3 day weekend coming.

[COD]

Oh look everybody, a new Yankee troll. Too bad he didn't bring any original material with him.

[Scott]

Hey Zac,

My point was the management/trainers should have had Manny rested treated etc. and ready for this series. If he was hurt did he really need to play against Chicago?

[Kaz]

Take your choice for Kaz's Friday witty troll retort. Voting starts after the end of the show. Remember these are 888 NOT 800 numbers:

1) Wow, you'd think nobody but BigBri could turn PT into a turd blossom, but, well, there you go.

2) Lookie there, fellas, our very own JD Drew of the comments section!

3) With trolls BigBri and PT out with mouth spasms, I guess we didn't have any choice but to put in Michael Hinske in NJ.

or

4) Hey, ya mook, fuggidaboutit.

[NolaSox]

God, this sucks - the yanks did sweep,
I pray to God our lead to keep,
And now I put my faith in Wake,
A win tonight would soothe this ache.

[illegitimate son of dwight evans]

Vasoxfan can chant "Year 2000" all he wants, but the Yanks are playing like 2000 was only yesterday, while the Sox are playing like 2004 was as long ago as 1918. Fine, do your chant for the next two months. Then we'll go back to chanting "2090." That's 2004 + 86 years. Only 83 more to go.

Didn't you get sent down to Columbus to make room for Jabba the Chamberlain? Come back when you can handle being in the Show.

[Andy in NH]

Start spreadin' the blues,

We're bleedin' today.

Don't want to be a part of it:

New York, New York

There goes J.D. Drew,

He's counting his pay.

Can't even get our stars to hit -

In New York, New York.

I want to wake up back in Boston;

I can't sleep.

When I see Rog on the hill;

Man, I hate that creep.

Our OBP stats

Are melting away,

If we could only score a run

In old New York

Can Coco hit his IQ (dunce)?

If Manny could play hurt for once,

Perhaps we'd beat New York, New York.

[Colin]

Wow what a disheartening sweep the MFY performed on us. Methinks they remember when we mopped the floor with them in the beginning and took the lesson to heart. Now I can only pray we do the same and get rid of this complacent "play like you don't give a shit attitude" that our boys are currently undergoing. If there's one thing I hate, it's Yankee fans and their history recitals.

Obviously there are exceptions, like Lugo who has gotten way over the Mendoza line, Crisp, Lowell, Captain Clutch a.k.a. V-Tek, and my fave Dusty (still my pick for Rookie of the Year).

JD Drew - get some fucking motivation to play or one day you'll find yourself at the hands of an angry Boston mob. Stop playing like you don't care.
Hinske - God bless you for at least trying, but for God's sake stop swinging at everything.
Ortiz - like Hinske, stop swinging at everything and take the time to analyze.
Youk - what happened to the batting surge? I mean if you passed it on to Pedroia then props to you, but please try to find your zen again.
Manny - you've been good so all I'll say is get that back situation fixed ASAP.
Sox Bullpen - last but certainly not least. You're about 65/35 on my like/dislike scale. Wake continues to own, though I wish he could own the Yanks like he did back in the day. Beckett had an unlucky night but needs to keep that overconfidence in check. Dice-K...good Lord. Why are the meltdowns happening now? Helping Matsuzaka is a two-pronged effort for Sox offense and himself controlling his pitching. Schilling is getting better, but just got the shaft from his offense.
Oki, Timlin, and Pap still stay cool in my book, but Gagne has to pull some saves out of his ass for me to even start to like him.

Come on Sox...get your head back in the game because it's not over until the leaves fall off the trees in late October.

[Devine]

It's still very winnable. After that pounding we took, that's pretty much the entire bright side.

Michael in NJ...lame, dude. My coworkers have much better material, and they were relatively nice to me considering the hurtin' the Yanks put on the Sox.

[louclinton]

I can do this shit all day long:

My name is Michael.
I am a Yankee troll.

My sister’s really hot.
She’ll blow you for a buck

I’m from Jersey, don’t you see.
I was once on MTV.

Don’t you think that Joba’s cool?
Can I play with Arod’s tool?
I’m not posting anymore.

[Bob]

All I did was Google "Michael in NJ," and this was the first thing to come up:

http://www.brynmawr.edu/iconog/washw/images/E/E14.jpg

Not a big surprise. Just another bedroom in a basement.

Mom's upstairs servicing a client. Dad's been gone for several years.

[Jason O.]

Jesus H. Christ on a popsicle stick get a hold of yourselves. All you have to do is beat BAL, TB and TOR and you win the division. It was over for Minnesota after Santana's post trade deadline media bomb. Oakland? Done(yball).

On a personal note, the sweep was very satisfying but the three game series with Seattle next week is approx. 10x more important than the 3 games remaining at Fenway.

[Bob]

J.O., here's another religious experience on a popsicle stick:

http://www.friedtwinkies.com/images/pic_friedTwinkies.jpg

[buckner was framed]

How cool is it that, after tonight, Wake is gonna be the winningest pitcher in baseball? possibly shared, I know, but still...

[Jason O.]

Bob, I confess I was a little turned on by that picture.

(In epicurean fashion, not Senator Craig fashion.)

[Bob]

Here's the Senator Craig version:

http://image.bizrate.com/resize?sq=160&uid=381914850&mid=127649

[soxdownunder]

wake out with sore back, Hooligan in.

[Deep, heavy, long, sigh...]

(Go Batshit!)

[soxdownunder]

there's always next year ...

[Jason O.]

Provided, of course that both the Red SOx and Yankees can beat inferior teams...

jeez....

[Genghis Ortiz]

Somebody's gotta get into the clubhouse and get these guys motivated, like send the Titanics in from the old Rathskeller days and cover AC/DC's "Have a Drink on Me'. THESE SHIT HEADS MUST START SENDING BLOOD TO FUCKING BRAIN AND WIN SOME BALLGAMES. IF INSTIGATING A FIGHT WITH OGIE AND HIS TRAILER TRASH PAPA CLEMENS IS THE WAY TO DO IT THEN LET IT BE. (On conspiracy theories, I'm sure Clemens put that little fuck up to throwing over Youk's head).

Blood pressure going up. Need chocolate chip cookies. Oy.

[pinstripe thunder]

Sorry about the B team. I don't fill out the lineup cards. Now do you see why I don't like to hang out on Yankee web sites?

Everybody have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend. Drivers out there are still taking last week's full moon a little too seriously.

Back to reading NEWSWEEK's perspicacious analysis of why Bin Laden's still out there. Of course he's still out there. Where the hell did they think he was? "In here," working at a deli counter in Flatbush?

[pinstripe thunder]

Even I have to tip my cap to the kid. Helluva pitching performance. Youth be served.

[lc]

Told you so.

You're welcome.

lc

[soxdownunder]

Thanks lc but did Gef manage to fuck it up? Fenway looked totally juiced. God I love that place. [SIGH]

[stratomaticboy]

Bucholz!!

[Kaz]

People were still at the park up to 30 minutes after the game was over, basking in the camaraderie.

Glad I could just sit around and watch the game today. That was a hell of a game.

[pudge]

My new Sox web page: Maigc Number. Also an RSS feed.

[ThisBlogSox!]

Maybe we could sign on Bernie Williams so he could arrange those tunes on classical guitar for us.

[a yankee fan]

Made me laugh.

Sure looks like the Sox will win the division. But the Yanks have shown they can beat them, so we may have another epic playoff series.

Look at these stats of Sox pitchers versus the Yanks:

Josh Beckett, 1 - 1, 5.49 era

Dice K, 2 - 1, 6.98

Curt Schilling, 0 - 1, 7.00

Tim Wakefield 0 -3, 10.93