I slowly woke up at 10:40 Sunday morning, surprised to be awake so early after a very late night with my good friends Bud and Bud Light. I checked my phone for messages and read a text from my neighbor inquiring if I wanted to go to the Sox game. My full body hangover turned into an adrenaline based fervor, and I quickly showered, dressed, and hit an ATM.
After a short drive up to Riverside Station in Newton, and a crowded ride on the Green Line, we were at Fenway, just in time to see the late Dom DiMaggio's wife Emily throw out the first pitch to first time All-Star Tim Wakefield.
The seats were in Grandstand section 29, row 1, seats 22-24. That's in the left field bank of seats that angle at 45 degrees toward the Green Monster. I'd never sat on this side of the ballpark. It's always been the Bleachers, or the RF Grandstand, and two or three times the box seats by 1st base or behind home plate.
But 29-1-24 was perfect. A cloudlessly sunny 85 degree afternoon spent underneath Fenway's roof. Funnily, the $50 Grandstand tickets have almost the same exact view as the $90 box seats one row in front. Also, since these were the first row of the blue Grandstand seats, there was additional legroom, so much legroom that people could walk through the row without those seated needing to stand up.
That amount of legroom simply doesn't exist at Fenway Park. Certainly not in the Grandstand, where the seats were designed for pre-WWII fans, who were apparently 4' 6" and weighed 88 pounds.
The seats were also in a premium location. Only a few feet from a tunnel down into the cavernous concourses beneath the seats. But also a short walk up the stairs to the newer, brighter concourse behind the seating sections. I've got to hand it to the owners of the Sox, they've improved Fenway's amenities and turned it into a building that could pass for 50 or 60 years old, not 97.
Oh yeah, and then there was the game. Josh Beckett's 94 masterful pitches were launched in a direction perpendicular to our perspective. Which means we couldn't judge inside/outside calls too well, but had an excellent chance to gauge the speed of his fastballs, and the grotesque movement of his off-speed stuff. 96 MPH is fast. Real fast.
You never know what can happen when you go to the ballgame. No-hitters, triple plays, someone hitting for the cycle. On June 27, 2003, I saw the Red Sox score 10 runs in the 1st inning before recording an out. They put up 14 runs that inning on their way to a 25-8 victory over the Marlins. Johnny Damon was 3 for 3 in that 1st inning.
Beckett didn't have a no-hitter, but he did accomplish a rare feat in today's game: a complete game shutout. The first I've seen thrown by a Sox pitcher. It was also Beckett's 100th career win.
Aaron Bates, who I'd hardly heard of until Sunday, played first base. I'd been in San Diego for nearly a week, so I was unaware that journeyman Jeff Bailey, who had replaced Mike Lowell, was hurt. Bates replaced Bailey, and was 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles and his 2nd career RBI.
Jason Bay was hitless. He didn't even have an at-bat. Yet he reached base 5 times. He was walked thrice, and hit by a pitch twice.
Then there's the stuff you only get to see at the ballpark. In the bottom of the 6th inning, the Sox let 3 little kids announce the first 3 batters of the inning. When David Ortiz walked to the plate, the kid announcing for him was nervous and stumbled with his task. So as "Now b-b, now batt-batting..." echoed through the park, Ortiz turned his head up to the press box and jokingly raised a hand in mock frustration at the kid.
I got home, without a sunburn, without cramps in my legs, but with even more memories courtesy of the Red Sox.
The Bruins signed Byron Bitz to a 2 year deal worth $1.4 million. Bitz emerged late in the season as a strong slot presence, and one of the most physical players on the team. 2009-10 should see him shuffle between the 3rd and 4th lines.
Mark Recchi brings valuable experience and scoring potential to the middle lines. He was signed to a 1 year deal for $1 million. Although he's 41 years, he's still a potent scorer, notching 23 goals with the Bruins and Lightning. 10 of those goals came in 18 games in Boston.
We all know Steve Begin from his time with the Habs. Frankly, I think he's useless. He can be an antagonist, but as far as a hockey player goes, he's not good enough to make the Bruins.
The Sabres signed Steve Montador, and that's no big loss. Montador occasionally struggled, and was exposed in the Carolina series. Then again, without him, the Bruins would have been even more shallow at that position. So in a way, he helped.
A 6-5 come-from-behind win in July against the O's usually isn't a big deal. But when it comes on the heels of an 11-10 come-from-behind LOSS, it is a big deal. The Sox bullpen, which blew that 10-1 lead the night before combined for 4 PERFECT innings. Added to the final 12 in a row that Beckett retired, 24 straight Oriole batters failed to reach base. That's 8 perfect innings of work.
There's been a great deal of heat in Julio Lugo's direction. But he is hitting .301. We all know he can't field, but as a bench player, he's finally hitting. Funny how it takes inconsistent playing time to get consistent production.
Jonathan Papelbon got his 20th save of the season with a perfect 9th inning. He passes Bob Stanley on the all-time Red Sox save list with 133.
The Sox have Thursday off before starting a 3 game series against the Mariners in Fenway. 8-3 Felix Hernandez faces Tim Wakefield Friday night.
The Red Sox are an historical team, and often find themselves in historic moments. Unfortunately, Tuesday night was one of those history making moments.
The Red Sox had a 10-1 lead, and blew it. Partially to blame is the weather. John Smoltz was cruising, 1 earned run through 4 innings of work and only 52 pitches thrown through those 4 innings. Then came the rain, delaying the game for 71 minutes. Justin Masterson took Smoltz's place, and did well for 2 innings, then fell apart. And then everyone gave up runs and couldn't get outs.
It was one of the most painful losses I've seen the Red Sox endure in regular season play. It's such a giveaway. But it is one game. One of 162.
On the bright side, Smoltz looked terrific. I was very curious to see him go through the lineup a 3rd time, to see how he'd do. But if you throw away his 1st inning last start, he's allowed 2 earned runs in 8 innings.
It's almost a sure thing if you go to a Sox/O's series in Baltimore, that you'll see the Sox win. And if you want to boost the odds, go when Jon Lester is pitching.
Lester improved to 3-1 in June with a 1.80 ERA, combining for a shutout with Delcarmen, Okajima, Ramirez, and Papelbon. He struck out 8, but managed his pitch count brilliantly, going deeper into the game than he's gone since June 12th, which I think was the last time I saw the sun.
JD Drew was a double shy of the cycle. He hit in the leadoff spot and did a very good job.
Mike Lowell missed another game. He's up in Boston getting lubricant injected into his hip. A DL stint is possible.
Jonathan Papelbon registered his 19th Save. It was one of those BS Saves. He got 1 out with 2 men on base, so since the tying run was on deck, it's a Save.
John Smoltz makes his second start in a Red Sox uniform. I think he'll be a lot calmer, and will build on those last few innings he threw in Atlanta. He's also facing 3-2 Rich Hill and his 6.03 ERA, which helps.
After winning 1-0 Saturday afternoon, the Red Sox found themselves on the opposite end of a 1 run scoreline. Brad Penny was as solid as Brad Penny can be, going 6, allowing 2 homers, but both were solo shots.
The Red Sox lineup was silenced by Tommy Hanson, which actually isn't something to be too ashamed of. The 22 year old righty is 4-0 with a 2.48 ERA. He's no slouch.
And when it comes to 1 run games, you win some, you lose some. As inane as that cliche is, it's true here.
The Sox continue their road trip with a stop in Baltimore. Weren't we just there? Jon Lester faces Jason Berken, who is 1-4 with a 6.32 ERA. Getting shutout by him would be something to be ashamed of.
It wasn't easy, but Tim Wakefield got win #10 yesterday afternoon, thanks to 6 shutout innings, and some shaky bullpen work that bent but did not break.
Jonathan Papelbon confuses me. He's 18 of 19 in save opportunities, but he was very close to blowing it yesterday. He missed by a good 3 or 4 inches with a pitch to McCann, and if Turner Field weren't such a big yard, that game is tied.
It's hard to argue with 18 saves, and a tidy 1.91 ERA. But a 1.36 WHIP isn't what we're used to with Papelbon. Nor are the 16 walks he's allowed (he walked only 8 last year). Is he getting lucky by escaping all these jams, or is he simply bearing down when it matters most? It's hard to tell through only 33 innings.
Anyway, the Sox have now won 8 series in a row, and go for the sweep this afternoon. Brad Penny faces Tommy Hanson.
The Bruins entered the 2009 NHL Draft in an awkward position. There's little that they really need except for depth. And their minor league system is already full of potential 3rd line forwards and 5th defensemen. But they do carry a bit too much money on their ledgers for the shrinking salary cap.
1ST ROUND, 25TH PICK, 25TH OVERALL - RW JORDAN CARON - RIMOUSKI (QMJHL) The Bruins did not trade up in the 1st round, but they did find a guy who seems to fit the Bruins' mold, or at least could. Caron is 6' 2" and around 200 pounds. He scored 26 times in 56 games last season. He'll turn 19 in November, so he has time to develop. He's not a stud, and he's not NHL ready. He's actually a bit of a project. One knock on him is that he has an attitude problem, and he thinks he's tougher than he truly is. But these wrinkles can be easily ironed out in the Bruins' system. Either that, or he'll be thrown out with the trash.
3RD ROUND, 25TH PICK, 86TH OVERALL - D RYAN BUTTON - PRINCE ALBERT (WHL) One thing that was exposed in the postseason was a lack of depth at defense. To be fair, Matt Hunwick and Andrew Ference went down with injuries. But you can never have enough depth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, especially on the blue line. At 6 feet and 185 pounds, he doesn't bring much size to the position, but he makes up for it in skating and speed. He is an asset on the power play. He just turned 18 in March, so he has time to bulk up, and learn to use that speed intelligently.
This guy's a Boston Bruin. He only has 30 goals in 4 seasons up in the Ontario junior league, but he has 502 penalty minutes. He turns 20 this summer, is 6' 3" and 203 pounds. But the Bruins don't carry pure fighters who do nothing but mix it up with their fists. Just look at Lucic, Chara and Bitz, who can brawl with the best of them, but can also skate and perform in all three zones. So while Macdermid might entertain fans in Providence, he'll have to work on all elements of his game before getting a chance in Boston.
Randell's a scrapper who can check, can fight, and occasionally pick up "junk" goals when he gets near the net. His skating is suspect, and the Bruins have recently become obsessed with quality skating. If he can improve that part of his game, he has potential to be a 4th liner. But without improved skating, he'll struggle to reach Boston.
7TH ROUND, 25TH PICK, 202TH OVERALL - C BEN SEXTON - NEPEAN (CJHL) The Bruins ended their draft with the son of the Florida Panthers' assistant GM. Sexton will play at Clarkson in the ECAC, so fans in New England can get a sneak peak when he plays at Harvard, Brown, and Dartmouth.
So that's the draft. Nothing too thrilling. A few guys who might become solid contributors in the NHL, but could also become journeyman AHLers. Almost every one of these guys has one major aspect of their game to work on, but I think one or two will eventually become staples for the B's down the road.
Josh Beckett continued his streak of shutout innings with 7 innings of scoreless work, and 6 strikeouts. He wasn't at his absolute best, but he was more than good enough to earn his 9th win. He's 7-1 since the start of May.
In the last three weeks David Ortiz has his 7 HR, with 14 RBI, and a .333 average. What makes me happy is that he's turning on balls and pulling them to right field. His solo shot Friday night was a blast in a park that's unfriendly to HR hitters. And it was off a solid pitcher who was having a very good night.
Ortiz's hot streak has come at a perfect time, because Mike Lowell might be missing some time. Youkilis was at 3rd last night, and Lowell is likely to skip the remainder of the Atlanta series. He might even come up to Boston to get an injection of lubricant for stiffness in his hips.
Man of the Game: Josh Beckett - 7 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 6 K
Tim Wakefield gets a chance to make his All-Star case on a national stage this afternoon. He faces Javier Vazquez.
In case anyone was wondering "How can a team be below .300?" The Nationals provided all the answers last night. It's a team game, and even though John Lannan had a solid start, enough of the Nationals are bad enough to drag down the whole ship.
Tavarez, Villone, Wells, Colome, and Hanrahan combined for 2.2 innings and 8 runs. The game turned from a nice 4-3 struggle to a 10-3 laugher in a matter of minutes.
Jason Bay might just be the American League's MVP. He was 4 for 6 with 3 RBI, 4 runs scored. We're not even halfway through the season and he has 69 RBI and 19 HR. He's on pace for 160 RBI and 44 HRs. Those are Manny Ramirez type numbers, but as Terry Francona said on WEEI this afternoon "[Bay's] a great teammate."
Bay is the Man of the Game with his 4 for 6, 3 RBI night.
Tim Thomas added another trophy to an already impressive case, winning the Vezina last week. He becomes the first Bruin to claim that hardware since Pete Peeters in 1983, and the first American since Jim Carey in ‘96.
But Tim Thomas’ trophy case isn’t impressive just because of the number of awards he’s won. It’s more the variety, and the difficulty in pronunciation. ECAC All-Star is easy enough on the tongue, but what the heck is the Urpo Ylönen trophy?
Tim Thomas’ road to the NHL veered far off the beaten path. Strangely enough, for the first time in his career the Vezina winner goes into next season as the clear cut #1 goalie. He’s played in minor leagues, defunct leagues, foreign leagues. He knows Scandinavia better than Erik the Red. And he’s always seemed to have an obstacle in his way. But all that apparently did was make him better and better.
Some of the cities Thomas has played in: Canton, NY; Hanover, NH; Birmingham, AL; Helsinki, Finland; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Cincinnati, OH; Stockholm, Sweden; Providence, RI; Hartford, CT; Worcester, MA; Gothenburg, Sweden; Kalamazoo, MI; Houston, TX; Hamilton, Ontario; Hamilton, NY; Turku, Finland; Orlando, FL; Salt Lake City, UT; Long Beach, CA; Kansas City, MO; Karlstad, Sweden; Portland, ME; Hämeenlinna, Finland; and that’s just the tip of the ice berg.
After playing high school hockey in his native Michigan and being relatively unrecruited, Thomas started all 4 years for the Vermont Catamounts. He earned several conference and national honors, was drafted as a sophomore by the Nordiques, and led Vermont to its first Frozen Four in program history. Thomas still holds school records for most career saves (3,950), most career wins (81), most career minutes (8,286), and most saves in a season (1,079).
After college, Thomas was still on the beaten path, but not for long. He played in 6 games for the Birmingham Bulls of the ECHL, then just 1 game for the Houston Aeros of the now defunct IHL. He then quite literally went off the map, all the way to Helsinki, playing for HIFK in the Finnish SM-liiga. In 18 games for HIFK, he registered an astounding 1.62 GAA and .947 SV%. His team won the Kanada-malja, the Finnish championship. Thomas was also awarded the Urpo Ylönen , Finland’s version of the Vezina. He’s the only American to win that award.
It must have seemed like just a one year thing to Thomas. He put up impressive numbers in a decent league. They were certainly impressive enough for the Edmonton Oilers, who signed him after his Finnish campaign. Thomas was sent to the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, where he struggled for 15 games before once again going to HIFK in Finland. His numbers were still solid (2.23 GAA), and his team made it to the Kanada-Meljer finals once more, losing to TPS.
He gave North American hockey another try. And once again, he failed to impress. In 36 games for the Detroit Vipers (another IHL team), he had a 3.56 GAA and .892 SV%. Not bad enough to totally give up on him, but not good enough to merit promotion.
Once again, he went back to Europe, this time to Sweden and their Elitserien, playing for another alphabet soup team: AIK. He played well, eventually becoming a fan favorite, thanks in part to helping AIK make the playoffs.
It must have seemed as though the NHL would never knock on his proverbial door. He was drafted in 1994, graduated from Vermont in ‘97. It was now 2001, and the only leagues he’d succeeded in were in the East European Time Zone. He must have known that in General Manager’s offices across the NHL, when the name “Tim Thomas” came up, it was quickly dismissed as a guy who couldn’t cut it against potential NHL players. A guy who could thrive in the wide open spaces of European hockey, but perhaps struggled to see the puck in the tightly packed checking game of North America.
For the first time in his career, he didn’t go back to North America to play. He stayed in Scandanavia, shifting back to Finland, which must have started to seem more and more like home. He joined a team called Kärpät. He’d been signed by the Bruins, most likely because he’d be a cheap replacement in net. The Bruins’ business and hockey philosophy at the time was to buy low, sell high, with an emphasis on selling. Thomas was certainly low, and other Bruin goalies were about to be sold high.
He returned to America in 2002, playing for the Providence Bruins. In his circuitous and crazy career, he’d often return to cities he’d once played in, but now for different teams. In college, he played in Providence against Brown. He’d return to Connecticut, New Hampshire, Central New York, all as a Providence Bruin. For Vermont, he went to the Frozen Four in Cincinnati. He’d play there again as a Detroit Viper.
In 2002-03, Thomas was down deep on the Boston Bruins’ depth chart. Steve Shields, John Grahame, and Jeff Hackett took most of the net-time for the B’s. And in Providence, Thomas had to compete with Andrew Raycroft. But the buy-low, sell-high Bruins mentality went into action. John Grahame was too talented to stay, so was traded to the Lightning. And despite the number of names the Bruins had on their depth-chart, none of them fully satisfied the needs of the position. So Thomas got his first breath of NHL hockey, 4 games, 3 wins, 3.00 GAA, and a .907 SV%.
Thomas didn’t get any such opportunity in 2003-04. Andrew Raycroft was brilliant, winning the vacant #1 goalie’s spot. He was backed up by veteran Felix Potvin, and with the Bruins’ rolling to a 41-19-15-7 record, there was no need to give Thomas a shot at the NHL.
But Thomas finally had the chance to be THE man in Providence. He had a .941 SV% and 1.84 GAA for a mediocre team. He’d finally figured out North American hockey. And that’s when the Lockout happened so he went back to Europe to play.
By now, he was elite. It’s just that nobody outside of Helsinki or Rhode Island really knew it. A 1.58 GAA and .946 SV% for Jokerit in Finland won him the Kultainen kypärä (best player, voted by players), and Lasse Oksanen (best player) trophies. He set a league record for shutouts with 15. He led Jokerit to the finals.
In hindsight, we can see that by 2004-05, he was ready for the NHL. But back then, watching him excel in Finland was expected. His problems had been in North America. He also had a reputation for losing his cool. If he allowed two quick goals, for instance, he’d meltdown and let in three or four more with ease. He had a notorious temper. Perhaps he still does.
He seemed destined to be an NHL backup. The Bruins put 21 year old Hannu Toivonen ahead of Thomas on their depth chart, and once again, Timmy was relegated to the AHL.
He’d almost joined Jokerit for another season, and it was fortuitous that he did not. Contract problems with Raycroft, and an injury to Toivonen gave Thomas the #1 spot. He registered a respectable 2.77 GAA in 38 games. But next season, he was still behind Toivonen on the depth chart. The Bruins trusted a kid with only 24 games experience in Finland’s top league more than Thomas, who had 118 games in that league.
The Bruins may not have trusted Thomas, but he trusted himself. Thomas let his on-ice performance speak for him. As Toivonen struggled, Thomas was solid. He won the starting job, and played in 66 games. It was 2007, 10 years after graduating college.
But he’d have to compete for the starting job again in 2007-08. The Bruins had such little faith in him, they traded for veteran Manny Fernandez. Fernandez managed only 4 starts before succumbing to a season ending knee injury. Thomas took over the #1 spot, but was occasionally spelled for long stretches by Alex Auld, who played in 23 games.
Coming into 2008-09, the Bruins still didn’t have complete faith in Thomas. He was to be an unrestricted free agent after the season. Another young Finn, Tuukka Rask, was impressing in Providence, and was perhaps a cheap alternative to re-signing Thomas. There was also Manny Fernandez, earning $4+ million to be a backup must not have sat well with Bruins management. One again, Thomas had to win the starter’s job. And he did.
In his first 15 games of the season, Thomas recorded a pair of shutouts, 9 wins, only allowed 29 goals, and saved .940 of the shots he faced. The contest for the starter’s job didn’t last long. And the rest, as they say, is history. Best GAA, best SV%, Vezina Trophy, his second All-Star Game win (he hadn’t even been on the ballot), and finally, he knows for a fact that he’ll be the starting goalie in the 2009-10 season.
Hopefully this comfort doesn‘t breed complacency. After all, his career is littered with unknown futures leading to future successes. But this doesn’t strike me as a guy who is capable of complacency.
In a not so shocking move, the Sox have placed Daisuke Matsuzaka on the disabled list. With John Smoltz starting Thursday night in Washington, and Matsuzaka's horrendous starts mounting, the move makes sense. But now we find out that an MRI revealed shoulder weakness. The same kind of shoulder weakness that put Matsuzaka on the DL in April.
As Francona put it: "This is not going to be a two-week DL." And it seems as though the Sox will wait until they can gauge improvement in that shoulder, before even considering activating him.
Francona and the Sox have also been blaming the World Baseball Classic, which is likely to blame for at least part of Matsuzaka's shoulder woes. At the very least, the Sox weren't able to implement their own spring routines.
And frankly, do you think Tatsunori Hara (managed Japan in WBC) gave a rat's ass about how Daisuke's arm would be doing in June and July?
It's also possible that the sudden change in Daisuke's pitching routines from Japan to the US has caused some problems. A return to Japanese habits in the WBC could only exacerbate such an issue.
I, for one, think that the WBC added fuel to a small fire, turning it into an inferno. There's always been a lot of talk about Daisuke's routines in Japan, and how he'd adjust to pitching in The States. Most seemed to think that throwing as much as he did in Japan would cost him years off his career.
I'm in the opposite camp. i think reducing his throwing is part of what's causing these recent shoulder troubles. It's not the common-sense viewpoint, and it certainly isn't what baseball people think about throwing. Muscles become accustomed to workloads. If those workloads are QUICKLY reduced or increased, the muscle will suffer. A professional weight-lifter will lose muscle mass if he cuts down on his workouts. He will also injure himself if he tries doubling his bench press.
Daisuke's in an adjustment period. The WBC was a relapse into some strange pitching routines. And I doubt any Red Sox pitcher will participate in the next one.
