Red Sox 8, Yankees 3

If you stayed up late, really late, you saw the Sox beat the Yankees. Many people might have endured the 3+ hour rain delay, and watched Sabathia cruise through the Sox lineup. It wasn't until the 7th that the Sox got to Sabathia. He was working a 2-hitter going into that frame, and he left on the hook for the loss.

Ortiz was once again the centerpiece of the offense. He had a pair of hits in that 7th inning, including a 2 run double.

If I were a Yankee fan, I'd be pretty pissed. Not only have the Yankees failed to beat the Red Sox on the field, they're not pitching inside. Sabathia had the stones to hit Ortiz. But Ortiz got the last laugh. Ortiz has played 161 games against the Yankees and had NEVER been hit by a pitch.

I wish the Sox could play the Yankees every game.

A three game set in Toronto begins tonight. Clay Buchholz faces Jo-Jo Reyes.

-The Commodore

Sox Take 2 from Yankees

Taking 2 of 3 from New York will make you forget about an 0-6 start. The Sox finally got some hitting, and finally got some pitching. It wasn't the prettiest series win, but I think we'll all take the W's.

John Lackey sucks. We have to come to terms with that. He's a #5 at best. Hopefully, he'll be the only #5 pitcher in this rotation. He's not going to recapture the form he had with the Angels 4 years ago.

I'm worried about Buchholz. He looked so much like his 2009 self on Saturday. He obsessively threw to 1st base. His body language wasn't confident. He's not throwing strikes. And he's struggling the second time through the lineup. It might just be a temporary thing. But he's allowed 5 homers and 8 earned runs already. In 2010, he didn't allow his 5th homerun until July.

The bullpen also looks ugly. I'm getting flashbacks of 2003, when Todd Jones, Brandon Lyon, and Ramiro Mendoza infested the Red Sox pen.

Josh Beckett was simply magical last night. 8 innings, 10 strikeouts, 1 walk, only 103 pitches needed. He retired the last 14 batters he faced. His fastball had bite, his curve was snapping, and he was confident in what he was doing.

The question with Beckett is consistency. We've seen sporadic brilliance like this before. We need to see a steady string of 7+ inning, 2-3 run starts, though. No more of the 5 inning, 4 run clunkers that we've seen him throw so many times. We'll learn a lot from the quality of his next start.

Offensively, it's still kind of ugly. The Sox scored 4 runs from 12 hits and 8 walks last night. That's not good. Pedroia's upped his average to .400, Gonzalez is hitting, and Ortiz is getting by. But there's still some serious slumping in this lineup. They'll snap out of it, though. Crawford hit a few balls hard, just not in the right place.

Sox host the 1-8 Rays starting tonight. Daisuke faces 24 year old Jeremy Hellickson.

-The Commodore

Why Not?

Why not watch actors reaction to the Yankees offseason?

Good One - A Movie Laughter Supercut - watch more funny videos

Cliff Lee to Phillies

In an absolutely stunning turn of events, Cliff Lee has agreed to a 5 year, $100 million deal with his former team: the Philadelphia Phillies. Reports claim that he declined an offer from the Yankees worth $150M over 7 years. There are reports that there'll be an optional 6th year, or a very heavy buyout.

This is simply unbelievable. The Yankees offered him an average of $21.4 million per year (the Phillis is a $20M average, in case you suck at math), and for 2 years longer. Lee's contract will expire when he's 37 years old. So it's not like he's going to get another massive payday.

He must really love something about the Phillies, and/or dislike something about the Yankees.

As a Sox fan, this is the next best thing to signing Lee. Not only is he out of our division, he's out of our League! The Sox play the Phillies a few times in interleague play, but they won't have to compete with them for a playoff spot. So unless the Sox make the World Series, we don't have to worry about facing Cliff Lee in a truly important game.

Also, the signing of Crawford is looking even better today. The Sox paid a bit extra, but they've gotten him. If they hadn't locked that down as soon as they did, the Yankees might be courting him right now.

The Yankees can't be feeling too good today.

-The Commodore

Reason Why I Hate Yankee Fans

Pedro Gets One More Chance

Pedro Martinez, a.k.a. God's chosen vessel on Earth, the radiant one who shines his light on all of us, will get another chance to pitch on the biggest stage in baseball. The Phillies extended the World Series with their 8-6 win last night. Pedro will take the mound for them in Game 6.

It'll be cold in New York, mid 40's around game time. Pedro pitched decently in his Game 2 start, but wasn't able to go very deep into the game. The Phillies' offense was shut down by AJ Burnett.

Pedro will be up against Andy Pettitte, who'll be on 3 days rest. We just saw AJ Burnett on 3 days rest, and it wasn't too pretty. Maybe the 37 year old Pettitte will also struggle. Pedro will be going on full rest.

Go Phillies!



-The Commodore

¡¡¡Hay Solamente Un Pedro!!!

There's only one Pedro.

And he pitches tonight in the World Series. His second career World Series start. As much publicity as Curt Schilling gets for his playoff record, Pedro's isn't exactly shabby. He's 6-2 with a 3.13 ERA and 1.054 WHIP. In 86.1 postseason innings, he's struck out 83 batters.

Schilling had the bloody sock, Pedro had a less visible but more impressive effort in Game 5 of the '99 ALDS. With a bad back and an 88 MPH fastball, he mowed through a murderous Indians lineup (Lofton-Vizquel-Alomar-Ramirez-Thome, etc. The Indians scored 1,009 runs in 1999), pitching 6 innings of NO-HIT relief to win Game 5.



Later in the '99 ALCS, Pedro was the only pitcher to record a postseason win against the New York Yankees that year. That's right, the Yankees went 11-1 in the 1999 playoffs, and that 1 loss was thanks to Pedro (and Roooooooooooooooooooger).

In the latest NLCS, he was once again brilliant. 7 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs. He was lifted after 87 pitches because the NL sucks and makes pitchers get pinch hit for. Then the Phillies' bullpen blew the 1-0 lead.

Pedro is my favorite player all-time in all sports. People think the Yankees will rock him tonight. Maybe. Maybe not. I just think it's fun to watch him pitch. He doesn't have the same blistering fastball, and his changeup is less effective, but now he's a crafty veteran who can outwit hitters and still make them look like fools.

I just wish Nelson were still alive to be his good luck charm.



-The Commodore

Yankee Game Prank

Red Sox 16, Yankees 11

27 runs, 28 hits, 2 errors, a pickoff, 6 homeruns, 385 pitches, 4 lead changes, 15 walks, 3 double plays, 8 doubles, 12 pitches, 4 hours and 21 minutes of madness.

The Red Sox had 9 RBI with 2 outs. Varitek's Grand Slam was massive. Lowell's 3 run blast in the 7th was just as big. The Yankees have no bullpen. And while the Red Sox' bullpen looked shaky, it at least got the job done.

Downside? Ortiz looks like a singles/doubles hitter, and has looked like one for 100+ games going back to last year. JD Drew seems to be in love with double plays. Beckett's had one amazing start, and other than that he's been 2008 Beckett, not 2007 Beckett. Okajima? Ugh! Papelbon vs. the Yankees? UGH!!!

Sox go for the sweep and their 10th straight win Sunday night at 8.

-The Commodore

HAHAHA Yankees

How have those key acquisitions played out after game 1:

CC Sabathia: 4.1 innings, 6 ers, 5 BB, 0 Ks, and 12.45 ERA

Mark TeixQueera: 0-4 with 5 men left on.

10 Orioles, 5 Yankees.
I'm not going to read into this too much figuring it was the first game of the season. But, damn it feels good to be a gangster.

Yankees Officially Out Of Play-Offs

Damn it feels good. Good thing they can play some play-off game's in the Historical Yankee Stadium so we can hear more tribute B.S...... NOT


Old Yankee's stadium couldn't touch Wrigley and Fenway.

Yankee Failures: Episode 3 - Kevin Brown

Overpaid, overrated, and mediocre. Is there any better representative of the 21st century Yankees than Kevin Brown?

The Bombers traded for Brown after the 2003 season. Desperate for pitching, the Yanks were more than willing to pick up the $31.4 million owed Brown for two more seasons of work. Hell, they even threw in some cash to sweeten the deal for the Dodgers.

New York got 14 wins and 13 losses out of Brown, to go with a 4.95 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP, and only 205.1 innings. That wouldn't be a bad SINGLE season, for a #4 pitcher making $2 to $4 million. But not two seasons for a guy making $15.7M a year.

Brown's biggest disappointment was in the 2004 ALCS. He was one of the biggest contributors to the Red Sox miracle comeback. In Game 3, he allowed 4 runs in 2 innings, but was saved by the Yankees' 19 run offensive onslaught. He wasn't so fortunate in Game 7...

For it was Kevin Brown that allowed 5 runs to start Game 7. It was Kevin Brown who gave up a 2 run David Ortiz bomb in the 1st. It was Kevin Brown, who loaded the bases for Johnny Damon's 2nd inning Grand Slam.



Red Sox fans owe a debt of gratitude to Kevin Brown, for being such a big part of recent Yankee failure. Brown was 14-9 in 2003, with a 2.39 ERA. But when he came to New York, he became a failure.

Thanks, Kevin. We couldn't have done it without you.

-The Commodore

Yankee Failures: Episode 2 - Ruben Sierra

Sierra has the distinction of being a two time Yankee failure. He spent the end of 1995 and start of 1996 in the Bronx. He came back and played for the Yanks from 2003 to 2005.



In his first stint, Sierra played 152 games with the Yankees, hitting 18 homeruns, and hitting .259. He struck out 92 times.

His second stint was longer but worse. Desperate for power, the Yankees reacquired him in the middle of the 2003 season. In 231 more games for New York, he hit 25 homeruns, hit .249. He knocked in 125 runs.

Sierra wasn't a monumental failure like Jose Contreras or Jeff Weaver were. But the fact that the Yankees were so desperate that they got (and kept) a 37 year old over the hill slugger who couldn't hit for average just goes to show how sad the Yankees are this century.

-The Commodore

Red Sox 7, Yankees 3

The bottom of the lineup came through for the Sox last night, which was a big reason behind the 7-3 victory. The 7-8-9 hitters (Crisp, Bailey, Cash) combined to go 7 for 13 with 3 RBI. All three of those runs came with 2 outs in the 5th, turning a 3-2 squeaker into a comfortable 6-2 lead.

The middle of the lineup also did their part. The 3-4-5 combo of Ortiz, Youkilis, and Bay was 5 for 9 with 5 walks, 3 doubles, and 3 runs scored. Youkilis added his 90th RBI of the season.

Wakefield was only able to go 5 innings, allowing 3 runs off 8 hits. This led to the inevitable: someone struggling out of the bullpen. Last night it was Manny Delcarmen's turn to make things unneccesarily dramatic. He allowed 2 walks and a hit in his 0.1 inning. Thankfully, he was saved by Masterson, who induced A-Rod into an inning ending double play.

Jed Lowrie made an error in the 9th. It was the first error of his Major League career. That's 1 error in 155 chances. Julio Lugo averaged 9 errors every 155 chances this season.

With Tampa Bay and Minnesota losing, the Sox are now 3.5 games out of the divisional lead, and 2.5 games ahead of the Twins for the wild card.

With 31 games remaining, the Yankees are now 6 games out of a playoff spot. If the Sox win the next two games, they can all but close the door on New York.

Josh Beckett had a 50 pitch side session yesterday, and reportedly felt strong. He's scheduled to start on Friday against the White Sox. Francona said Beckett is "excited" to go on Friday.

But the news out of the Bronx wasn't 100% positive. JD Drew was placed on the 15 day DL with a back strain. No official word yet on what the exact problem is, or when Drew will be back. Bartolo Colon was transferred from the 15 to the 60 day DL.

But hearing Yankee fans boo A-Rod is music to my ears.



In the battle of the 4.6 ERAs, Paul Byrd takes on Sidney Ponson tonight.

-The Commodore

Yankee Failures: Episode 1 - Carl Pavano

The Red Sox are making their final scheduled trip to Yankee Stadium. And in honor of the Big Ballpark in the Bronx, as well as its 85 year tenants, I present a series of posts documenting some of the biggest, most expensive, and funniest failed Yankees in recent history. We'll have all your old favorites, and some you may have forgotten about.

We start the series with Carl Pavano.



Pavano is in the last year of a 4 year, $39.5M deal with the Yanks. In 2005, he hit the DL with shoulder problems. In '06, a "bruised buttocks" caused him to sit (or stand) on the sidelines. He broke his ribs in a car accident on August 15, 2006. But he didn't tell the Yankees about it until the 28th, right after they told him that he was going to be activated off the DL.

Mike Mussina publicly questioned Pavano's desire to play.

"[Pavano] is only looking at it from his perspective, we're looking at it from our perspective. We want him to go out there and show us that he wants to do this."



Pavano wound up rehabbing his arm in Tampa. But never visited his teammates whenever they were in town to play the Rays.

Pavano is a free agent at the end of 2008. In 4 years with the Yankees, he's made 20 starts, gone 6-6, thrown 116.1 innings, with a 4.80 ERA. The Yankees have been in the playoffs every year since he signed, but he hasn't made an appearance in October.

He's been paid about $2 million per start. $6.6 million per win. $340,000 per inning, $113,000 per out, $608,000 per strikeout.



Carl Pavano will go down in history for three things...

1. Being traded from Boston to Montreal for Pedro Martinez
2. Giving up Mark McGwire's 70th homerun
3. Being a Yankee failure

-The Commodore

AL 4, NL 3

It took nearly 5 hours and 15 innings to decide, but the 2008 All-Star Game was won by the AL 4-3. Michael Young ended the game with a 1 out bases loaded sac-fly.

JD Drew was the stand out among the Boston representation. He was 2 for 4 with a 2 run homer, a walk, and a stolen base.



Manny was 0 for 2, Youkilis was 0 for 2, Pedroia was 0 for 1 with a walk. Varitek played, but didn't have an at-bat.

Papelbon pitched in the 8th inning. He allowed an unearned run thanks to Dioner Nivarro's errant throw. Not surprisingly, the scum gathered at Yankee Stadium blamed Papelbon.



Sidenote: How awesome were the smirks sported by the Sox players during introductions?

When Young belted that sac-fly in the 15th, the game was quickly approaching the T word. Some things Major League Baseball might consider in order to avoid future scares:

1. If a team doesn't want a pitcher to pitch in the All-Star Game, he shouldn't take up a roster spot. Both Scott Kazmir and Brandon Webb were "emergency" pitchers tonight. Had the game gone to 16 or 17 innings, there's no way Kazmir could have continued. So why not let these unavailable pitchers go to the game, dress, get introduced, but not be on the official roster, just as if they were injured?

2. MLB needs to come up with some sort of Doomsday Emergency Plan for All-Star Games. My proposal would be to select two starting pitchers from the Futures Game. If either team exhausts its pitching staff, BOTH teams will have to bring in the minor league pitchers. Also, after the 12th inning, position players should be allowed to return in case of injury (catchers already can return in such an instance).

Finally, the Yankee love fest will simmer down a bit. And how cool is it that a Boston Red Sock won the All-Star Game MVP in Yankee Stadium?

-The Commodore

All-Star Starting Lineups

American League:
1. RF Ichiro Suzuki - SEA
2. SS Derek Jeter - NYY
3. CF Josh Hamilton - TEX
4. 3B Alex Rodriguez - NYY
5. LF Manny Ramirez - BOS
6. DH Milton Bradley - TEX
7. 1B Kevin Youkilis - BOS
8. C Joe Mauer - MIN
9. 2B Dustin Pedroia - BOS

And on the mound, Cliff Lee of the Indians. Thank you Terry Francona for being sane and not starting Mariano Rivera, like some fools in New York wanted you to.

National League:
1. SS Hanley Ramirez - FLA
2. 2B Chase Utley - PHI
3. 1B Lance Berkman - HOU
4. DH Albert Pujols - STL
5. 3B Chipper Jones - ATL
6. RF Matt Holliday - COL
7. LF Ryan Braun - MIL
8. RF Kosuke Fukodome - CHC
9. C Geovany Soto - CHC

SP: Ben Sheets, Milwaukee.

-The Commodore

Yankees 5, Red Sox 4

I wouldn't worry too much about Sunday night's 5-4 extra inning loss to the Yankees. They scored the tying run in the 7th by skipping 3rd base. And Gardner's game winning single was as soft as a teddy bear.

Then again, the Red Sox not only could have won this game, they SHOULD have. They've become a .500 team when leading after 6 innings, and that's not the sign of a good ballclub.

Lopez was brought into the 7th inning to get out of a jam. Last year, we'd see Okajima in this situation, but Francona has justifiably shied away from using Hideki when there are runners on.

The pinch hitting in the top of the 9th confused me. I don't know why you'd take out Lugo and replace him with Varitek. Lugo was 1 for 3 on the day. Varitek had much better numbers against Rivera, but that was the old Jason Varitek, not this new super-slumping incarnation. Right now, the only people who want to see Jason Varitek with a bat in his hands are American League pitchers.

Alex Cora also deserves some blame for the game winning single. There's no way he could have thrown Gardner out at first, but Cora MUST keep that ball in the infield. He got to it, got a glove on it, but failed.

Kevin Youkilis was caught stealing. The Red Sox were 1 for 8 in stolen base attempts this series. I don't know why they refused to give Molina credit and continually tested him.

After going 3-7 on the road trip, the Red Sox finally return home to face the Twins. Minnesota has been playing well lately, but at least the games are in Fenway. Matsuzaka faces Scott baker Monday night.

-The Commodore

Red Sox 6, Yankees 4

The Sox put up 12 hits in their 6-4 victory over the Yankees this afternoon. Josh Beckett was shaky in the 1st, but settled down and pitched 6 solid innings, earning his 8th win of the season. Pedroia and Ellsbury combined to go 5 for 9. Mike Lowell was 2 for 4 with a double, a homer, and 4 RBI. Jason Varitek went 2 for 4, his first multiple hit game since May 31st. The Sox could have easily scored more, but they left 4 men in scoring position, and were caught stealing 3 times.

The one disconcerting aspect of the game was Hideki Okajima's performance in the 7th. He allowed a single and two walks to load the bases. He and Manny Delcarmen worked out of the jam, but Okajima has proven himself to be less than reliable this season. That's probably why he's been used as more of a middle reliever than an 8th inning set-up man.

His ERA is a seemingly solid 3.00, but his other stats tell a completely different story. His 1.47 WHIP is considerably higher than his 0.97 WHIP of 2007. He's blown 6 save opportunities. And inherited runners have been a major problem (12 of 15 have scored).

I think it's safe to say the Red Sox will be in the market for a set-up man at the trade deadline. Hopefully not a French Canadian ex-closer.

Justin Masterson makes his first career start against the Yankees Saturday afternoon. He faces 10-6 Mike Mussina, who will be making his 55th career start against the Red Sox.

-The Commodore

A-Rod Opts Out of Homerun Derby

Alex Rodriguez keeps coming up with new and original reasons for people to hate him. This time, he's snubbing Yankee fans and the rest of baseball by not participating in the Home Run Derby. This will be the first and last time that the competition will be held at historic Yankee Stadium. But Alex Rodriguez feels as though it might affect his swing. Funny, he participated in three Derbies before becoming a Yankee. Maybe he has performance anxiety. Maybe he's afraid of hitting only 1 or 2 homers in the first round in front of the home fans.

Even sour puss Nomar Garciaparra was able to put on a smile in 1999, and participate in the Derby at Fenway. Why can't A-Rod toughen up and do this at the Stadium? It would be a nice treat for the Yankee fans who help pay his grotesque salary, and for baseball fans around the world.

A-Rod is worried his swing might get messed up. Apparently his swing is as sensitive and soft as he is.

-The Commodore