SOX COME BACK FROM THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE

Josh Beckett is reportedly "fine." At least that's what Dr. James Andrews said after seeing him in Alabama. Beckett had to be scratched from the lineup for tonight's series opener against Chicago due to tingling and numbness in his arm. He hasn't pitched since August 17th, and has struggled at times this season.

JD Drew had an epidural and is feeling better, which is what an epidural is supposed to do. An epidural is an injection of drugs into the spinal area. This dulls or numbs some forms of back pain.

Sean Casey was placed on the 15 day DL due to a neck strain. It's been bugging him since the 21st. Apparently he can't even swing a bat without pain.

Mark Kotsay may be a possible backup first baseman.

Sources:
WBZ
Boston.com

PERFECTLY IMPERFECT PRESEASON FINALLY OVER

The next time some moron says something like "Brady is just a system quarterback" you can point to the stagnant Patriots offense this preseason as evidence against such a dumb statement. That's about the only good thing to come out of the exhibition season.

The Patriots offense was once again flat, and the defense was - at times - systematically picked apart. But what else do you expect with Brady on the bench? Brady's absence hurts the defense as well. It hurts starting field position and time of possession (last night the Giants had the ball for about 40 minutes, the Pats only 20), which can drain a defense's energy before it even takes the field.



But the good news is that Brady should be back under center next Sunday against the Chiefs.

Some more good news is that rookies Jerod Mayo and Shawn Crable look pretty good, and both seem to have tons of potential. John Lynch looks healthy and full of energy, playing most of last night's game and registering 8 tackles.

An 0-4 preseason is hardly a good sign for a team. Cleveland is the only other side that will be winless. But the Pats could have easily forced overtime in their 16-15 loss against Baltimore. They were 2-2 in last year's preseason, before rattling off 18 straight wins. The last time they won the Super Bowl - 2004 - the Pats had a 1-3 preseason. And that was with Mr. Brady starting games.

By Saturday, the Pats will shave their roster to 53, and as mentioned above, the real season starts September 7th at Gillette against the Chiefs, who were 4-12 last year.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Bill Kostroun
AP Photo/Kathy Willens

RED SOX TRADE FOR MARK KOTSAY

With JD Drew out, the Red Sox found themselves lacking a left-handed outfielder. Less than 24 hours after Drew was on the DL, they got a new one. They've reportedly traded a "mid-level" prospect to Atlanta for Mark Kotsay.



Kotsay waived a limited no-trade clause in order to come to Boston. He's arbitration eligible at the end of the season, and the Sox will pay the balance of his $8 million salary (about $1.5M).

The 33 year old hit .289 with the Braves, with an OBP of .340 and a .418 slugging percentage. He's hit 6 homeruns in 318 at-bats this year. He missed some of May and most of June with back spasms. He's been hitting well recently, batting .288 in August with a .500 slugging percentage.

He'll be a solid #6 or #7 hitter to anchor the bottom of the lineup.

It's funny, the Red Sox started the season supposedly with "too many outfielders" (Drew, Ellsbury, Manny, Crisp, Moss) and "too much pitching." Now they've had to scrape together outfielders and pitchers after the trade deadline.

Kotsay also has a smoking hot wife...





Sources:
ESPN.com
Fox Sports

SOX WEAR OUT PETTITTE, BEAT YANKS 7-3

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.

Sources:
ESPN.com
Baseball-Reference.com
Associated Press

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

ACC FOOTBALL PREVIEW

The ACC hasn't been too impressive these past few years. Virginia Tech has remained a powerhouse, but teams like Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Miami have all fallen off just a bit. It's not the monster conference some expected it to be after Miami, VT, and BC joined. The ACC was a pathetic 2-6 in Bowl games last year.

1. Virginia Tech

The Hokies have won 2 ACC titles since joining the conference in 2004. They have a pretty light schedule, although a non-conference road game to Nebraska is never easy. They don't have to play Clemson or Wake Forest, the other top teams in the conference. So they should cruise to the ACC title game, where they will win. They lost a lot of talent defensively, and on the ground in Branden Ore. But VT has always been good at capitalizing on mistakes, which will be abundant in the ACC in '08.

2. Clemson

Many people have picked Clemson to win the ACC, something they haven't done since 1991. They open their season in style with a game against Alabama in the neutral Georgia Dome. RBs James Davis and CJ Spiller combined for 2,100+ total yards last year, and Cullen Harper threw for 2,991 yards, 27 TDs, and only 6 INTs. They return 8 starters on defense. Their major weakness is a young and untested offensive line, which may lead to their undoing against opportunistic defenses (See: Virginia Tech)

3. Wake Forest
The Deacons always seem to hover around this level of being good, but never great. They'll have a lot of defensive experience, but their offense lacks the explosiveness needed to win the conference. RB Josh Adams ran for 953 yards and 11 TDs in his freshman season, and may wind up as one of the top backs in the conference. They play Clemson at home, which will be their biggest game of the season, unless of course they make it to the ACC title game.

4. Florida State

There will be two seasons for the Seminoles in 2008. Their first 3 games will see a large number of players suspended for that cheating scandal. They should crush Western Carolina and Chattanooga in that stretch, but will find Wake Forest a much more difficult opponent. QB Drew Weatherford has never met up to expectations, and weaknesses in the defensive line are the main reasons why FSU won't contend for a conference title. But the ACC lacks depth, so they'll seem to be in the mix.

The rest of this is alphabetical...

Boston College

An 8th straight Bowl win, and an 11 win season will be followed by mediocrity on Chestnut Hill in 2008. Manning Award Winner Matt Ryan is in the NFL, stud CB Dejuan Tribble is gone, ballhawking safety Jamie Silva is gone, WR Kevin Challenger, RBs Andre Callendar and LV Whitworth are also no longer with the Eagles. The returning rushing leader is James McCluskey, who had 8 yards on the ground in '07. BC has to play all 4 of the good teams in the ACC, along with home games against C-USA Champion Central Florida and Notre Dame. They might not even reach bowl eligibility.

Duke
The Blue Devils haven't won an ACC game since November 13, 2004. They're 2-34 in their last 36 games. They have a chance to beat James Madison, that's pretty much it. Perhaps Northwestern will fall to Duke, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Georgia Tech

Former Navy coach Paul Johnson takes over in Atlanta this year, and you know what that means... rushing, rushing, and more rushing. Johnson isn't expected to implement the triple option just year, but don't be surprised if GT leads the ACC in rushing attempts. They lost a lot of key players, so with a new coach, a new system, and new personnel; it will be a rebuilding year. But the Yellow Jackets are always capable of a random sting here and there. Look for them to beat FSU when they play in November 1st. Why? I don't know. Why not?

Maryland
The Terps have three possibilities at QB, which means they don't really have a QB. They also don't have much experience as the few truly talented players have all left. I'll give them credit for scheduling California, and I'll give Cal credit for agreeing to play in Maryland. They'll make a token Bowl game, where they will lose.

Miami
The Canes missed out on post-season play last year for the first time since 1997, and I couldn't have been happier. Of course, recruiting is Miami's biggest strength. Playing in southern Florida, having no academic standards, and not requiring a background check makes things even easier. Miami is young, and loaded with question marks, but they'll be better than they were last year.

NORTH CAROLINAAAAAAAAA!!! COME ON AND RAISE UP! TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF, TWIST IT ROUND YOUR HAND, SPIN IT LIKE A HELICOPTER!

UNC always has two or three talented players. They've got some good receivers, but no offensive line, no QB, and no defensive line. Johnny White led the team in rushing with 399 yards, but now he's a cornerback. That pretty much sums up the Tar Heels.

NC State
I still can't figure out why Tom O'Brien decided to leave Boston College for NC State. The Wolfpack had the 110th ranked rushing offense last year, which complimented their 91st best rushing defense. The only good thing NC State has going is their defensive line, which has experience, talent, and Keith Willis Jr.


Virginia
Best known as the team you always forget is in the ACC. UVA had a great season, going 9-4 and 6-2 in the conference. They have the toughest schedule of any ACC team. They open with USC. They play UConn in Storrs. Then finish the season @ Wake Forest, vs. Clemson, and @ Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers won last year because of a solid and conservative offense, along with a punishing pass rush. But that pass rush is now gone. And the offense isn't explosive enough to make up for that loss.

Games to Watch:
8/30 USC @ Virginia
8/30 Alabama vs. Clemson - in Atlanta
9/20 Wake Forest @ Florida St.
9/27 URI @ Boston College - just kidding
9/27 Va Tech @ Nebraska
10/9 Clemson @ Wake Forest
10/25 Va Tech @ Florida St.
11/8 Clemson @ Florida St.
11/29 Florida @ Florida St.
11/29 Georgia Tech @ Georgia
11/29 South Carolina @ Clemson

Which Teams Will End Up in Which Bowls?
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech
Chick-fil-A (Peach) Bowl: Clemson
Gator Bowl: Florida State
Champs Sports Bowl: Wake Forest
Music City Bowl: Miami
Meineke Car Care Bowl: Virginia
Emerald Bowl: Georgia Tech
Humanitarian Bowl: Maryland
Congressional Bowl: Boston College

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.

Source:
Baseball-Reference.com

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

Sources:
MLB.com
Baseball-Reference.com

SPORTS AND POLITICS

Most people don't care too much about politics. And even though I care, I can't really blame anyone for not caring. It's always between a giant douche and a turd sandwich.



But politics have an effect on sports. Just a few issues that won't be talked about too much on CNN, but will have a major impact on the American sporting environment.

1. The Cuban Embargo.
For decades, the US has prohibited importing any Cuban products. On the other side, the Cubans don't let anything get taken by America (See: Elian Gonzalez). This has kept one of the richest talent pools of baseball players away from the Majors. If Cuba and the US open up their respective relationships, the flood of Cuban players will significantly increase the average talent of Major League Baseball.

2. Drug Testing
For some reason, the Federal Government has led the crusade against HGH and steroids in sports. I guess everything else in the country/world is fine. The Senate, as well as the President can come down hard on MLB and the NFL, or they can let the leagues test the way they want to test. The Government has more of a reputation for fucking things up than the NHL has. Don't be surprised if Federally mandated drug tests are inefficient, expensive, and ineffective.

3. Arlen Specter vs. the NFL
Senator Specter's ongoing war with the NFL (most recently fought on the SpyGate front) is a prime example of the unjust powers of campaign financing. Specter's top 2 contributors are Comcast, and the law firm that represents Comcast. Not surprisingly, he's trying to get the NFL's antitrust exemption pulled, which is what Comcast wants. Ironic, eh? If this were to happen, teams would be on their own. Things like revenue sharing and a salary cap will change dramatically, and possibly go away. Big teams like Dallas, Philadelphia, both New Yorks, Chicago, and New England would have a huge advantage over teams like Green Bay, New Orleans, Buffalo, Tampa Bay, and Arizona.



4. Globalization
Basketball is the most popular sport in China, baseball is the most popular sport in Japan, and Russia has tried desperately to steal players away from both the NBA and NHL. Shady governments, like Russia's, allow for tax free salaries of star athletes. Jaromir Jagr, for instance, will make more at the end of the 2008-09 season than Marian Hossa. Dealing with globalization is a major political issue, the effects of which will be felt dearly in the sporting world.

5. Publicly owned stadiums
Did you know that Boston's sports teams are some of the only teams in the country that have privately owned facilities? The Garden, Fenway, and Gillette are owned by the Bruins, Red Sox, and Patriots, respectively. The new Yankee Stadium will be privately owned, as well. Usually, cities, counties, and states own stadiums. But financially fucked governments are less willing to pony up huge sums of money for new stadiums. The Bills, for instance, desperately need a new one. But they can't afford to build it, and neither can the state of New York. So they might just move to Toronto in a few years.



So even though the Red Sox/Yankees game will be watched by way more people than tonight's coverage of the Democratic National Convention, be sure to keep one eye on the politicians and make sure they don't fuck up our sports.