Back to work
Bill:
Well, if the Sox are going to get swept, bettah that it happens on the road, and bettah it happens on Pacific time, and even bettah if it happens on a holiday weekend.
Doug:
Absolutely. Between the late games and being occupied with Memorial Day, it was easy to keep a distance and not get too pissy.
Bill:
And with Colon looking more and more like the real deal he once was, it's pretty easy to chillax.
Doug:
Hey now don't get too loose, according to Dave Pinto if the Sox happen to "falloff from their current .808 home winning percentage [it] may mean trouble, as Tampa's home/road record looks sustainable."
Bill:
I dunno. Tampa and "sustainable" just doesn't seem very realistic to me despite what Pinto's chahts and numbahs may be telling him.
Doug:
Seriously, and not to sound like Hillary Clinton but there is a lot of time left and I just don't see a team like the Ray with no pennant race experience being much of a factah when the heat is on.
Bill:
Yeah, and you nevah know, somebody could assassinate Kazmir in June.
Doug:
Not that we're advocating such a horrible thing. You know, just speaking hypothetically and all.
When did "sustainable" become such a popular fucking word? I swear to Christ, the next time a hippy says anything bout shit being "organic" and "sustainable", I'ma open up a can of "genetically-modified" and "processed" satchel-kicking on them.
Oh, yeah: Bartolo's the man.
Posted by: dada kine kine | 2008.05.27 at 09:30 AM
Nice topical kill-the-candidate reference, hb. Colon looks good, not that I was awake to see it.
Posted by: louclinton | 2008.05.27 at 09:31 AM
Oof! Assasinate Kasmir? Oh, HB, why go there? You're starting to sound like Hillary now...
Posted by: Rob in CT | 2008.05.27 at 09:31 AM
The Colon was loose last night ;)
Posted by: Harwich Rich | 2008.05.27 at 09:38 AM
I saw all of three innings of the game last night.
Why the hell can't MLB have West Coast teams play weekend and holiday games at a time East Coast fans can actually watch them?
Posted by: Bob | 2008.05.27 at 09:54 AM
Better to have the Rays as playoff contenders any day of the week over the MFYs.
That's just my opinion. I figured they've been through a decent amount of suck so now they might have a little success due, just not above Boston that's all.
Posted by: Colin | 2008.05.27 at 10:07 AM
Is there something wrong with me, that I like this Rays club? Who I am supposed to root against? Navarro, I guess, is the embedded Yankee over there.
Posted by: Josh | 2008.05.27 at 10:48 AM
At least Hillary did not come straight out and say someone should make Obama an 'Ambassador'.
Posted by: yazbread | 2008.05.27 at 10:51 AM
Love these left coast games. Strolling into work at 10:30 this morning! Colon emptied his hole arsenal last night.
Posted by: kjc | 2008.05.27 at 10:59 AM
Ditto, Colin. The Rays are a collection of lucky strikes (sorry Hinske and Pena), little kids not ready for the big stage just yet, one good pitcher and a few others who will bottom out by August. You can't worry too much about them. Maybe next year tho...
It's so fucking pleasant to see the MFY continue to implode - their big "Fix" is ready to have terrible repercussions: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/26/AR2008052601918.html
You almost feel sorry for the fuckers...
Posted by: Daubie | 2008.05.27 at 11:02 AM
I've been big on Colon since thet picked him up! Adding a Cy Young caliber pitcher to an already good rotation is fantastic! Just hope they take care and keep him healthy!
It is fun to see the Rays in the battle! But, I seriously doubt they'll last - long, long season left, and they are young, and not that deep. Won't take much to knock them off course, but you never know!
At least the MFY are still struggling - that's always entertaining!
Posted by: RationalSoxFan | 2008.05.27 at 11:46 AM
Adding a Cy Young caliber pitcher to an already good rotation is fantastic!
Uh, Rational, does that mean you'd want to see Clemens in the rotation? :-) jk, I think (hope) I already know your answer.
I'm really glad to see Bartolo come back and pitch as well as he has. THeo's looking pretty smart at the moment. Wonder what the general reaction will be if the Colon blows?
Posted by: Rob in CT | 2008.05.27 at 12:58 PM
Painful weekend - distance (30 rows) was not enough. Since when did Justin Duchsherer become Cy friggin Young. Would have been nice to hit the ball over the weekend so I could have shoved a few brooms up the A's colon...bunch a douchebags.
Posted by: sonomasox | 2008.05.27 at 12:59 PM
The endless litany of Colon double entendres is hilarious. That men never outgrow their boyish amusement with all things scatalogical cracks me up. Sunday morning at the Figawi tent on Nantucket was the Mimosas and Dirty Jokes contest, where these yacht-owning heads of business would stand up and deliver the most ribald Aristocrats-style jokes to guffaws. Awesome, even if I cannot bring myself to repeat 3/4 of what I heard.
Great point the characters made. It was awesome to have completely missed the sweep due to the long weekend.
Posted by: Natalie | 2008.05.27 at 01:05 PM
/The Rays are a collection of lucky strikes (sorry Hinske and Pena), little kids not ready for the big stage just yet, one good pitcher and a few others who will bottom out by August./
Daubie, I was thinking the same thing myself, and before posting I did a little research and found some distubing info:
The 4 BoSox bench players have a combined 25 RBI's. The four Rays bench players have a combined... 25 RBI's. Our other "up for a day" players have a combined 10 RBI's, but 7 of those are Jed Lowrie's. TB's "up for a day" players have 5 RBI's, but they're pretty evenly spread.
Boston has used 8 starting pitchers with a combined record of 24 and 13. TB has used 7 starting pitchers with a combined record of 24 and 13. Our three "spot" staters have a combined ERA of 4.36. TB's two spot starters have an ERA of 3.64.
TB has used 19 position players versus 17 for Boston, while Boston has used 18 pitchers versus 16 for the Rays.
Throw in a much better bullpen than Boston (4 blown saves in 19 opportunites versus 10 in 25), and I really don't think you can make a "depth" argument, at least based on the season so far. I still think they'll fade in August, but because of pressure and inexperience with a pennant race, not depth.
Posted by: Steve in MD | 2008.05.27 at 02:17 PM
Natalie, glad to hear that the litany of Colon double entendres "cracks" you up... High on the list of long weekend distractions was the lacrosse final four at Gillette, where I was with my 8-year-old budding lax superstar (dads can dream). Any 'Cuse folks out there? By far the most obnoxious fans in the house -- loud, rude, drunk, numerous, and orange. And, of course, mostly New Yorkers.
Posted by: ParkerStPete | 2008.05.27 at 02:58 PM
Thanks Parker for bringing up another shit stain on the weekend. I'm a UVa grad - the weekend started off as one pissah after they gave up 6 to the orange in the 4th.
Posted by: sonomasox | 2008.05.27 at 03:14 PM
I fear the Ray.
Posted by: Scott | 2008.05.27 at 03:34 PM
I love checking the Tampa scores first, but I doubt it can last.
Also, Jo Castiglione reckoned Bartolo's was the second best performance by a Red Sox pitcher this year.
Posted by: soxdownunder | 2008.05.27 at 04:55 PM
Colon last night: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 SO, 1 BB
Beckett on 5/8 vs Detroit: 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 8 SO, 0 BB.
Even though they are struggling, Detroit has a more potent lineup. Both games on the road, both after a loss. I'd be hard pressed to choose between them. Any other candidates for "second best"?
Posted by: Steve in MD | 2008.05.27 at 05:31 PM
Rob:
No, I don't want a washed up pitcher like Clemens. What I meant by a "Cy Young caliber" pitcher is a pitcher who has recently (2005) won the Cy Young - and is apparently recovering well from surgery. Any one who has won the award is obviously a Cy Young caliber pitcher - if he stays strong, healthy, and pitches sharp, that can only be a good thing to add to your rotation, right?
Now, if his arm falls off, or he has lost his touch - drop him like a hot potato and bring Buchholz back up!
Do the MFY have a Cy Young caliber pitcher possibly getting ready to join them? Yeah - maybe Clemens! LOL
Posted by: RationalSoxFan | 2008.05.27 at 05:33 PM
I'm off to see the Dropkick Murphys tonight - closest I'll get to Boston (other than via the intertubes) this year. Sigh...
Posted by: soxdownunder | 2008.05.27 at 05:52 PM
Not to be too much of a sentimentalist, but can the Sox please sign Trottie back? He's gotta be cheap now...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/27/sports/baseball/27trot.html?ref=baseball&pagewanted=print
Posted by: Daubie | 2008.05.27 at 05:59 PM
Colon totally rectum
Posted by: IkeG | 2008.05.27 at 06:27 PM