MELTDOWN

The last time the Red Sox were 3.5 games out of first in the AL East was the end of the 2006 season. But after last night's 7-6 disappointment in St. Petersburg, that's exactly where the Sox are.

Daisuke pitched around trouble for 5 innings. Although he only allowed 1 run, his pitch count was obscenely high. In the first two innings, he had already thrown 49. This forced the bullpen to be used early. Okajima pitched a scoreless 6th, then all hell broke loose.

Manny Delcarmen looked awful. Not only was he giving up hits (3 hits to 3 batters faced), his stutter step off the mound allowed Akinori Iwamura to reach on an infield single instead of being thrown out at first.

Then Hansen came in and couldn't throw a strike. He threw 13 pitches, 4 of which were strikes. And one of those strikes was struck by Evan Longoria for a double. Finally, Javier Lopez worked out of the jam, but the damage had been done. A 4-1 Sox lead had been turned into a 7-4 Rays lead.

The Sox didn't go down quietly. Pedroia had an RBI double in the 8th (stopping at first with a single would have given him a cycle). Thanks to an error, the Sox put two men on with no outs in the 9th. A sac-fly from Youkilis made it a 7-6 game. Then Terry Francona made me mad for the first time in his managerial stint with the Red Sox.

Why in the name of all that is holy was there a hit and run with Varitek at the plate? He was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts, and hadn't gotten a hit in 16 at-bats. In those 16 at-bats, he's struck out 8 times. HITTING is the most important part of the hit-and-run. But Varitek isn't hitting. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th in a 1 run game, it makes more sense to bunt than hit-and-run. Why risk making the 2nd or 3rd out on the basepaths? Why ask a slumping hitter to make contact, something he's struggled to do. And why the hell is Varitek batting 7th and not 9th?

Not surprisingly, Varitek swung and missed at a bad pitch, and Mike Lowell was toast at second base. When Varitek struck out looking, the game was over.

This Varitek slump is unreal. He's 3 for his last 48 (.063). There is no reason for him to be batting anywhere but 9th, if at all. Brandon Moss and Julio Lugo aren't tearing the cover off the ball, but at least they can get a hit every once and awhile.

The Sox ride their 5 game losing streak to Yankee Stadium for a 4 game seris. Lester faces Andy "I Didn't Inject" Pettitte.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

BRUINS SIGN MICHAEL RYDER, AND ARE OFFICIALLY OUT OF THE RUNNING FOR MARIAN HOSSA

The Bruins signed former Montreal Canadien Michael Ryder to a multi-year deal. The signing reduces the Bruins' salary cap space, making it impossible to sign Hossa. I don't mind that the Bruins got a guy who can score goals (30+ in his first two seasons with Montreal, although he only scored 14 last year), but I'm disappointed that they didn't pull a rabbit out of the hat with Hossa. The Edmonton Oilers offered him a deal worth $9M a year, and the price for the Slovak winger will only go up from there, but the Bruins seemingly did next to nothing to try to create that cap room. They couldv'e shipped Glen Murray to Providence, eaten his salary, but completely removed him from the salary cap equation. But they didn't.

That's just the unending pain of being a Bruins fan.



Source:
Boston Herald

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File

A-ROD OPTS OUT OF HR 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.

frustRAYtion

Matt Garza and the Rays shut down the Sox offense last night for a 3-1 lead, extending the deficit in the AL East to 2.5 games.

Wakefield had another good start wasted. 7 innings, 2 runs (1 earned). It was actually his 7th straight Quality Start, but he's 2-3 in that stretch, and the Sox are 3-4.

The offense was simply pitiful. Drew, Ramirez, Lowell, and Youkilis, hitting 3-4-5-6, combined to go 0 for 14 with 4 Ks. The Sox didn't get a hit until the 4th. They also left the bases loaded in the 8th.

Think how unimaginable this thought was before the season: If the Rays win tonight, they'll have swept the Red Sox TWICE this season. That's amazing for the Rays, and it's flat out sad for the Sox.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

WHERE'S WILLIE ANDREWS? IN JAIL

Patriots defensive back Willie Andrews was arrested early Monday morning after threatening his girlfriend with a "large capacity" handgun by pointing it at her head. He is being charged with unlawful possession of said gun, as well as assault. He is being held without bail until a hearing on Thursday.

This is the second arrest for Andrews during the off-season. Two days after the Super Bowl, he was taken in for possession of a half pound of marijuana (intent to distribute). This weapons charge and assault will probably affect the outcome of the marijuana case.

This isn't the first trouble he's had with guns, either. Back in his college days at Baylor he was arrested for unlawfully carrying a weapon.

But I think it's safe to say that this will be Willie Andrews' last legal problem as a member of the New England Patriots. It's a shame because he did so well on special teams last year. But this guy is obviously too much trouble.

Sources:
Associated Press
Boston.com

SOX FALL TO RAYS...AGAIN

The Red Sox lineup has struggled all year to really click all at once. At the moment, Dustin Pedroia is scorching hot (20 for his last 36 or .556), Mike Lowell is also hot (17 for his last 32 or .531), and Youkilis is hitting well (.337 average in June). On the other side of the spectrum; JD Drew has cooled off a bit, Manny Ramirez is cold (.205 in the last two weeks), and Jason Varitek has officially frozen over (.127 in June).

This disparity between extremely hot and extremely cold results in an inconsistent offense, with runners left in scoring position, rallies killed right as they start, and quick 1-2-3 innings for opposing pitchers. And that was the case last night as the Sox fell to the Rays 5-4.

Masterson once again had a decent - not good, not bad - start, going 6 innings and allowing 4 runs. But he was up against James Shields, who is pretty much untouchable in Tropicana Field (coming into the game, 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA at home). The Sox got 2 off of Shields, and managed to get him out after 6.1 innings. But these aren't your older brother's (Devil) Rays. This Tampa team has a bullpen that doesn't moonlight as a slapstick comedy troupe.

Speaking of bullpens, Chris Smith started the 7th for the Red Sox, but only got 1 out and walked the bases loaded. Javier Lopez did a good job of minimizing the damage, holding the Rays to 1 run in the inning. But that run would turn out to be the game winner.

The Sox rallied against Troy Percival in the 9th. Lowell and Brandy Moss had big doubles, with a Youkilis single sandwiched in between. Varitek hit a sac-fly to make it 5-4. But Julio Lugo failed to deliver with a man on 3rd and 2 outs.

The Rays now hold a 1.5 game lead over the Red Sox. It feels odd saying that on July 1st. And guess what, it's a 3 game lead in the loss column. The Sox are 6-4 against the rays this season, which isn't bad, but they were 13-5 against Tampa in '07.

Tim Wakefield goes against Matt Garza tonight. Garza is coming off a complete game, 1 hit, 1 run performance against the Marlins. I'm just glad Kevin Cash gets to bat tonight.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

MANNY BEING MANNY TAKES ON A WHOLE NEW MEANING

For the second time this season, Manny Ramirez was involved in a physical altercation with a fellow member of the Red Sox organization. This time it was travelling secretary Jack McCormick.

Here's what happened:

Manny asked McCormick to get 16 tickets for Saturday night's game.

McCormick told Manny that he might not be able to get so many tickets on the day of the game.

They argued, Manny yelled "do your job!" and shoved McCormick.

Eventually, Manny apologized, and the matter was handled internally. Francona and the Red Sox plan on taking no disciplinary action.

But doesn't all of this seem tremendously out of character for Ramirez? First the incident with Youkilis, now this stuff? He's gone from someone who was relaxed, nonchalant, and cool as a cucumber; to Paul O'Neil. I'm not sure if I like it or not.

Source:
The Sporting News

CELTICS DRAFT PICKS

Last night was the NBA Draft, and the Celtics made three picks. Here they are:

1st Round, 30th overall: J.R. Giddens - SG, New Mexico

6' 5", 208 lbs, 23 years old
Formerly of Kansas, Giddens transferred after getting involved in a bar fight during which he was stabbed in the right calf. He played his freshman year at Kansas, making the All Big XII freshman team. Played his sophomore year at KU, then transferred and had to sit out for a redshirted season due to NCAA rules. His junior year he was suspended by New Mexico coach Ritchie McKay for not being "a good teammate." But his senior year didn't see any incidents like that. Giddens averaged 16.3 points per game last season, with 8.8 rebounds. This helped him earn co-player of the year honors in the Mountain West Conference.



The Celtics could have gotten Giddens later in the 2nd round. He was projected by many to go in the 2nd or not at all. So they could have used their 47th overall pick, or traded down. And to be honest, Giddens doesn't impress me that much. That being said, he might turn into a good player if he's surrounded by the right teammates and the right coach. And the Celtics have both of those.

2nd Round, 47th overall: Bill Walker - SF, Kansas State

(Drafted by Washington, rights traded to Boston)
6' 6", 220 lbs, 20 years old
Was Michael Beasley's teammate at K-State, and OJ Mayo's teammate in high school. His freshman year for the Wildcats started late and ended early with an ACL injury. He averaged 16.1 points per game his sophomore season. Considering his age and lack of experience, you'd expect him to need to work on parts of his game. He isn't the best shooter in the world, nor is he the best ball handler. But he has potential to be a decent player in a few years.



2nd Round: 60th overall: Semih Erden - C, Fenerbahce Ulker (Turkey)

7' 1", 240 lbs, 21 years old
Token large European. Hasn't shown much in European play, averaging only 20 minutes, 6.7 points, and 4.3 points per game. His defensive shortcomings have drawn criticism, especially considering his size. On offense he's a non-force outside of the paint.

Sources:
ESPN.com
Boston.com
Draft Express - JR Giddens
Draft Express - Bill Walker
Draft Express - Semih Erden