DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN

Last night's 7-2 loss to the Rays reminded me so much of 2008, and of 2007 as well. Jon Lester throwing dozens of pitches to get a single out. The Sox making inexcusable defensive mistakes against the Rays, a poor bullpen performance that turned a manageable deficit into a big lead for the opponent, and an inconsistent offense that couldn't get the big hit.

Is Jason Varitek recovering from cancer or something? Why are Red Sox fans treating his 0 for 4 "with some good swings in there" as some sort of accomplishment. I'm sorry, but the bullshit he pulled this offseason means no-holds-barred criticism of Captain LOB. He went 0 for 4. Yeah, he looks better this year than he did last year. But he had a good start to the 2008 season, didn't he? If he looks this good in mid-May, I'll give him credit for being a Major League hitter again. Until then, 0 for 4 is 0 for 4 is 0 for 4.

Oh, and Bob Davidson, the home plate umpire, SUCKED. I like big strike zones, but calling the outside strike as he was is ridiculous. He was calling pitches strikes that Zdeno Chara couldn't reach with a hockey stick. But Varitek, Lester, and the Sox should have adjusted and tried to hit the outside corner a bit more.

The Man of the Game is Scott Kazmir. He took full advantage of the Buick sized strike zone and went 6 innings, bending but not breaking.

The Bitch-Goat. In case you don't know, the Bitch-Goat (BG) is distributed after every loss based on who I think deserves the blame for the defeat.

Jon Lester gets 0.6 of a Bitch-Goat point. He struggled through 5, finally cracking in the 5th. Jed Lowrie and Mike Lowell each get 0.1 for their 0 for 3 nights. Rocco Baldelli gets 0.2 for leaving 4 men on base. Hopefully, he won't be hitting 5th again for awhile.

Daisuke vs. Garza next, which is in the 3rd as I finish this post.

Source:
ESPN.com