The Furious Fan

I am so mad at the Red Sox right now, I’m shaking.

Its not a rare occasion for me to be upset with my favorite baseball team, especially since we’re talking about Boston. They’re the kings of disappointment, of letdown, of frustration. They have a long and sordid history, including an 86-year championship drought, of driving their fans absolutely insane.

But this time, I just can’t believe them. I’m beyond mad, past angry, leapt right over enraged. I don’t even have words to describe the extreme, intense, fiery, passionate IRE at the Sox.

Here’s a team that has been overperforming all season long. With a team full of new faces, including a completely revamped infield, not many people expected much from Boston. This was looking to be a rebuilding year while the team learned to play together, management found the necessary missing pieces of the puzzle, players regained their prior All Star form.

But, to the surprise of many, Boston hit the ground running and has been in first place in the AL East for a majority of the season. The team clicked immediately and have looked like they’ve been playing together for years, not months. Aging vets found their Fountain of Youth in Fenway, putting up career stats. New pitchers proving they're ready for the Big Time. And the sun shone down upon Boston.

But as is usually the case in the life of a baseball fan, the question isn’t so much “What have you done?” as much as “What have you done for me lately?” And in the case of the Red Sox, the answer is nothing much besides give me a raging case of heartburn.

Let’s set the stage: Boston’s rival, the New York Yankees, is more banged up than my neighbor's '69 Dodge Dart, relying on a slew of minor-league callups and ineffective veteran signings to fill the holes in their lineup. Sheffield, Matsui, Posada, Damon, Jeter and others have all spent time on the pine this season due to injuries.

Yet somehow, the Yankees stayed in the race, thanks to both the elevated play of their fill-ins, and Boston’s inability to deliver a knockout blow. Despite Boston’s hot start, they’ve hit some rough patches along the way. Toronto owns us. Wells is on the DL for the second time this season. Clement is proving to be ineffective once again. And beyond Timlin (injured), Foulke (injured), and Papelbon, our bullpen is a constantly-rotating collection of AAA callups.

All this equates to a mere half-game lead over the Yanks heading into this weeks four-game series. A lead, mind you, that everyone, EVERYONE, expected the Red Sox to increase. The Yanks are hurt. They’re struggling. Two of their big boppers are down, their bullpen is atrocious, and starting pitching is spotty. The Red Sox were slotted to take advantage of the black-and-blue Yankees, pound out at least three wins in the series, and leave New York with a comfortable 2.5-game lead.

Instead, the Sox are now the ones looking up from second place.

After Beckett’s disaster Monday, which must have been the worst start of his career, and last night’s stomach-punch loss, the best Boston can hope for is a split and that meager half-game lead back. No big advantage, no padding their lead, no going into the All Star break feeling good about their position.

So the question is, Why? How? What the hell is going on?

I’ll tell you what’s going on. The Sox are on autopilot right now. They’re just going through the motions against the Yankees. With just as many Yankee All Stars on the DL as on the field, the Sox figured they could coast through New York, take a few games with no problem, and come out the other end smelling like roses.

They couldn’t be more wrong. The Replacement Yankees got something to prove, and they are doing one hell of a job of proving it to the Sox. Meanwhile, the Sox pitching is horrible and batters don’t seem to want to get on base. Red Sox Captain Jason Varitek hasn’t hit the ball hard in weeks, and is facing one of the lowest batting averages in his career. Even Mr. Clutch himself, David Ortiz, seems to be waving at the ball as it goes by him. Guess what, Ortiz: Alex Cora has a better batting average than you. Embarrassed? Good, you should be.

To make matters worse, the Sox were given a GIFT last night in the form of a stellar performance by a rookie starting pitcher. David Pauley gave the Sox six strong innings, against the Yankees in New York nonetheless, and what did the Sox give him in return? One run. One god-damned run. And yes, I can say God Damn because this ain’t radio. (Ten points for whoever identifies that reference.)

Pauley pitched a gem, and should have gotten out of the seventh with no problems. But with two outs and nobody on, a Cairo dribbler snuck under his glove and past Loretta (who was charging and tried to barehand the ball). Two more runners reach, and now we have the bases loaded.

Enter ineffective relief pitcher, Rudy Seanez, who promptly walks Giambi to give the Yanks a 2-1 lead. Thanks Rudy, you may go now.

That’s not even the real kick in the nuts, either. Top of the eighth, Manny Ramirez hits a BOMB to left center for a sure game-tying home run. Out of nowhere, Melky Cabrera, the same Melky Cabrera that flat-out dropped a pop-up earlier this year that opened up the floodgates for a lopsided Sox victory, the same Melky Cabrera that let a liner skip by him in Fenway for extra bases in another Sox win, this little bastard comes flying up the fence, does his best Tori Hunter impression, and pulls Manny’s game-tying home run ball back onto the field for the final out of the inning.

That’s not just a rally-killer, folks. That’s a game-ender.

There’s no two ways about it: the Yankees deserve first place. They wanted it, hungered for it, and played hard enough to earn the right to sit atop the AL East. Boston has dogged it so far against New York, and if they keep it up, will be lucky to hold on to second place over Toronto.

Get your shit in gear, Boston. Start playing ball. Hit the field like you know what the hell you’re doing. Show us some passion, some fire, some desire to be out there representing our great city. You’ve got one of the best fan bases in baseball supporting you, start fucking playing like you deserve it.

The 2004 championship may have earned you some slack for winning another World Series quickly, but it certainly did NOT excuse you from trying.

Now that I’ve thrown some much-deserved praise the Yankees’ way, it’s time to bring them back down the Earth and rip ‘em a new one:

What the hell is up with all the curtain calls the past two games?

Before you get all bent on me about being a poor loser or something, let me say that I’m all for the curtain call. I think it’s a great way to honor a player for an accomplishment or great play, and love to see that player acknowledge the fans cheering for him with a quick visit to the top step of the dugout and a tip of the cap. I was at Fenway for Curt Schilling’s 200th career victory, and not a single person in attendance left until we were able to coax Curt from the locker room after the game with deafening chants of “We want Curt!” The stadium erupted when Schilling popped out from the dugout and gave the crowd a few waves in appreciation. I actually got goosebumps at that moment.

So please excuse me when I cry foul after Yankee fans demand, and players reciprocate, a curtain call after a second-inning home run. That’s not appreciation, that’s gloating. There is no need to call a player to the top step after he hits a home run that early in the game (which didn’t even give them the lead, mind you). In Monday’s blowout, both players to homer in the second inning received curtain calls. Two in one inning! Are you kidding me? The game was already a blowout at that point, that’s just rubbing it in.

Along the lines of inappropriate cheering, how about that near-miss to Manny Ramirez last night? Wang tossed a high-and-tight fastball to Manny, sending him stumbling backwards out of the box.

And the fans went wild.

That near-beaning (at his head, nonetheless) was applauded almost as much as those damn curtain calls. I know these teams have a long, sordid history, but at NO point over the years has it been considered okay to plunk a batter in the head. And these clowns cheer.

You can bet the bank that if such behavior took place in Fenway, if Boston fans applauded when a Yankee almost got laid out by a fastball to the head, sportswriters around the GLOBE would rip the town apart for representing the ugliest side of human nature and fandom. Boston would be disparaged for wishing ill-will as serious as a concussion upon anyone. We would be beasts.

But somehow, its okay for New Yorkers to act like animals. So much for the classy fans and players at Yankee stadium. They can take that misnomer and cram it right up their pinstriped asses.

Bad Boy Beckett Becomes 26

Josh Beckett’s 26th birthday outing last night was almost the shortest of his career. Two batters, to be exact.

In the first inning, home plate umpire Jim Joyce granted Baltimore slugger Miguel Tejada a late time-out request. Beckett had already begun his delivery, and had to stop his motion mid-stride as Tejada backed away from the plate.

Some pitchers take great offense to such an act. Suddenly halting a 98-mph fastball, which Beckett was flinging all night, can create some serious muscle pulls. Most professional players know this.

But what most professional players also know is that you don’t show up the umpire, either. Beckett vehemently voiced his displeasure with Joyce’s decision, going as far as to stride towards home as he hollered. In a move you see less often, Joyce started to meet Beckett halfway, walking out towards the mound as the jawing between umpire and player increased. It took Boston’s team captain Jason Varitek to diffuse the situation, intercepting Joyce on his way out to the mound and talking him back from the dangerous ledge both combatants were headed for.

It’s a good thing cooler heads prevailed, because otherwise the Red Sox Nation would have been deprived of witnessing one of Beckett’s finest outings in a Boston uniform. Despite surrendering a solo home run to Tejada after the confrontation with Joyce, Beckett settled into a groove, retiring the next 13 Orioles he faced. In his 80-pitch outing, shorter than usual due to the damp and dangerous mound conditions, Beckett threw 7 innings of two-hit ball, striking out six.

The win was an encouraging mark for the Red Sox on many levels. Beckett notched his record to 5-1. Terry Francona received his 500th career management victory. Boston improved to 7-0 against the Orioles this season, and 12-0 dating back to last September. After a rare two-day, thanks to a deluge of rain that’s still soaking New England, the Sox looked sharp as ever.

The offense was firing on all cylinders, too. Varitek scored a career-high four runs, going 2-for-2 with three walks on the night. Mike Lowell tripled for his second hit of the day, and Mark Loretta continued his hot hitting, raising his average to .273 after recording two hits,

Not to be outdone by the veterans, Wily Mo Pena continues to improve his prowess at the plate. He rifled two hits to the opposite field for four RBIs on the day, two of which came on a home run that gave the Sox a 2-run lead. Wily Mo is shattering critics’ expectations from early in the season, quickly gaining the patience few thought he could attain and becoming a real threat in the Sox lineup.

The biggest question raised by Wily Mo’s level of play has been, where do we put him when Crisp is ready to return? Wily Mo has been manning the centerfield spot, allowing Nixon’s hot bat to remain in the game. And though Wily Mo’s massive bulk is sure to take someone out as he chases down fly balls, he’s done a fine job defensively so far.

Too bad Wily Mo can’t play shortstop.

With the Yankees falling to the Rangers, the Sox again regain sole possession of first place in the AL East. After a brief interleague stint in Philadelphia over the weekend, Boston faces New York at Fenway for a three-game set. As is usually the case with this rivalry, first place could very well be at stake between these two teams.

The Yankees are facing serious personnel issues, still searching for an answer to their outfield woes. With Matsui out indefinitely and Sheffield showing no rush to return to the lineup, New York is making due with light-hitting Bubba Crosby and AAA-callup Melky Cabrera in the corners.

Their pitching staff hasn’t fared much better. The Big Unit has been showing his mortal side his last few outings, raising his ERA over 5 on the season. Tanyon Sturtze, long man in the Yankee bullpen, just landed on the DL for perhaps the rest of the season with a torn rotator cuff. Key starter Carl Pavano has yet to throw a single pitch this season.

And who knows what’s waiting for them around the corner? Damon injured his shoulder crashing into the centerfield wall last week. Giambi strained his neck diving for a ball and had to leave yesterday’s game in the third inning.

Shambles.

But somehow the Yankees find a way to win games and keep hanging around atop the AL East. Boston has been playing some amazing baseball as of late as well, though, making next week’s showdown a pivotal one.

As usual.

Doug Flutie has bid the NFL and a 21-year professional football a sad farewell. Flutie became a household name in 1984 with Boston College with a gimmick play, completing a last-ditch Hail Mary pass for a touchdown as time expired to beat Miami on national television. After a lackluster start to his NFL career, Flutie headed for the CFL, where he more than prospered as a quarterback. Over his eight-year career in the great white north, Flutie won three Grey Cups (the equivalent of the Super Bowl) and was named league MVP six times. His 6,619 passing yards in his second season remains a league record.

Despite his size and constant criticism as to such, Flutie wove an incredible career in the CFL, eventually returning to the NFL in 1998. Though he didn’t break any records back in the states, he constantly defied the odds and produced as both a starter and backup. He was revered during his years with San Diego, and proved to be an ample mentor to rising Charger star Drew Brees.

Just as Flutie entered American lives on a gimmick, he will go out with one as well. On his last play from scrimmage, playing as a member of his home team in front of his home crowd, Flutie converted the first drop-kick extra-point in over 60 years.

Thanks for the memories, Doug, we’ll miss your determination and grit.

Swingin’ in the Rain

The Red Sox have played many frustrating games in their long history as a professional ballclub, but in my days as a fan, I can’t recall one as infuriating as last night’s matchup against the Yankees.

Boston has shown a tendency to leave small villages on the basepath in past years, a fact on the forefront of every fan’s thoughts after stranding 15 last night. On three separate occasions, they had the bases loaded and plated none. Two of the biggest offenders on the night is most surprising: the uber-clutch Yankee killer David Ortiz, and hot-hitting doubles machine Mike Lowell, who left 5 and 7 runners on base respectively. Facing a 2-run deficit for most of the night, those LOBs became more and more apparent as the innings ticked by.

The New York defense didn’t help matters, either. Twice in the game, Yankee outfielders crashed into the wall pulling back home run shots from Boston; the most notable catch made by former Sox Johnny Damon when he challenged the center-field wall to rob Doug Mirabelli of extra bases.

Even the umpires got in the act of stealing from the Sox. Mark Loretta lined a hot grounder down the third base line that appeared to pass over the base in fair territory and under the glove of a diving Alex Rodriguez. But the blue at third had other ideas, waving the ball foul despite protests from the third base coach and Tito Francona. The next pitch Loretta saw tapped weakly to the pitcher to end the inning.

Coming off a bad Schilling outing that lead to a 7-3 loss the night before, the 3-1 Yankee lead started to feel insurmountable. It seemed the Sox would waste another great Tim Wakefield outing, as he striking out nine Yankee batters in his six innings of work.

But then the ball started to bounce our way.

As the rain set in during the seventh inning, Bernie Williams horribly misplayed a pop fly in the right field corner (a position he was playing to help fill in for the injured Matsui), letting the ball drift back into the field of play, land untouched in fair territory, and bounce into the stands for a ground-rule double. Bernie looked lost on the play, and it would come back to haunt the Yankees.

Two batters later, with two on and two out, Loretta hit a shot into the gap between third and short. Derek Jeter made a nice diving stop, but the throw from his knees forced Miguel Cairo off the bag at first. He managed to glove the throw and get the tag on Loretta streaking down the line, but the ball popped loose. Two runs scored, giving the Sox a 4-3 lead they would not relinquish.

Jeter’s throwing error lost the lead, and eventually the game, for the Yankees, yet Steinbrenner didn’t make a peep as he did when grilling Rodriguez for his errors that led to a 14-3 embarrassment two nights prior. Jeter failed to execute in a clutch situation, just like Rodriguez, so where’s his grilling from the Boss? Though Steinbrenner is known for ruling with an iron fist and speaking his mind when the team doesn’t live up to expectations, it appears he isn’t willing to call out the Golden Boy when he falls short. Hypocrisy, or just playing favorites?

And what about Mariano Rivera, George? He continued his recent woes against the Sox as well, failing to keep the Sox from plating an insurance run in the ninth. The light-hitting Willie Harris would score after leading off the inning with a single. Willie Harris! No criticism for Rivera, George? Didn’t think so.

The biggest loss of the night for the Yankees wasn’t the game and a share of first place, however. In the first inning, Hideki Matsui fractured his wrist diving for a sinking hit from Loretta. Matsui’s wrist was wrenched backwards as he hit the turf, and was limply hanging on the end of his arm in a sickening manner when he scrambled to get the dropped ball to the infield. As he held his wrist in pain after the play, his injured hand already swelled up to twice its normal size.

With Gary Sheffield sitting on the DL, the Yankees suddenly find themselves scrambling to find available left fielders to fill in for Matsui, who could be out anywhere from three months to the rest of the season. For most teams, this would be a huge blow to the lineup, making rival fans quite happy; however, given Steinbrenner’s ability to light cigars with 100-dollar bills, Sox fans fear its only a matter of time before the Yankees land a big-name slugger to fill the gap. Its inevitable.

But today, Sox fans aren’t thinking about the Yankees. Sox fans are opening the paper, and reveling at seeing Boston atop the AL East yet again. The team stumbled a bit, key hitters hit slumps, ace pitchers got shelled, but the Sox found a way to stay in the race and climb back to the top of their division. Loretta has been on a tear, tagging four hits last night and batting over .450 the past few weeks. Manny shrugged off his season-opening slump and is now batting .310. Interim leadoff batter Youkilis is hitting over .350 with runners on base. Wily Mo Pena has learned patience, and its paid off in the form of a .325 average.

The pitching staff has been working hard too. Beckett pitched a gem on Tuesday for key win in New York. Papelbon recorded his 13th save and dropped his ERA to an infinitesimal 0.44. Timlin has continued to defy his aging arm, coming through with key strikeouts of Rodriguez and Jason Giambi in last night’s victory.

And where defense was a concern coming into the season, its been more than impressive thus far. Wily Mo Pena has rebounded nicely from early-season defensive woes. Lowell shows range and Billy Mueller-esque finesse at the hot corner. Youkilis is a picking machine over at first. And let’s not forget Mirabelli back behind the plate for Wakefield.

A well-rested Clement takes the mound tonight against the Rangers, and the Sox have got to feel momentum is on their side. Fending off the Yankees for first, taking two of three in New York, is no small feat, the significance of which is not lost on any of the players.

Let’s keep the ball rolling, boys!

Back In First

It was a comedy of errors in the Bronx last night, with the Yankees headlining the show.

New York posted a 3-spot in the E column by the end of the game last night, led by two key errors from the undeniably un-clutch Alex Rodriguez. His pinstriped partner in crime was AAA callup Melky Cabrera, manning the right field spot while Gary Sheffield sits on the DL nursing a sore wrist. All three Yankee errors led to Red Sox runs, and the eventual 14-3 shellacking on their home turf.

A-Rod’s miscues couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Yankees. Hanging on to a two-run lead in the third inning, Rodriguez booted a David Ortiz grounder with two on and two outs. Half-diving towards his left, as he was the only player on the right side of the infield due to the Ortiz shift, he knocked the ball down but couldn’t find it when he got to his feet for the throw. By the time he located the ball and zipped it to first, Ortiz had already hustled down the line to first. Instead of ending the inning and heading to bat with the lead, Rodriguez’s miff plated two runs and allowed the inning to continue, eventually giving the Sox a 3-2 advantage.

That was all the Sox needed to get to Yankee starter Randy Johnson. The Big Unit was way off his usual game, lasting only 3.2 innings, his shortest outing against the Sox since 1991. Johnson allowed five walks, threw two wild pitches (one of which scored a run), and allowed seven Red Sox to cross home plate. Thanks to the horrific defense of the Yankees, only two of those seven runs were earned.

Sox starter Josh Beckett was Johnson’s antithesis. Beckett shined in his return to Yankee stadium, pitching seven strong innings of three-run ball, notching seven strikeouts along the way to his fifth win of the season. To the delight of the Red Sox Nation, two of those K’s came via Johnny Damon.

For the entire game, everything seemed to bounce in favor of the Red Sox. Mike Lowell lined a hard grounder that bounded up and over Rodriguez at third, his second error of the game, and would score three batters later on a three-run homer by Sox shortstop Alex Gonzalez, his first of the season. Did you catch that last part? A home run by Alex Couldn’t-Knock-a-Butterfly-Off-a-Branch Gonzalez? I bet he couldn’t believe it either. I was fully expecting him to pimp at home plate a-la Omar Epps (as Wesley Snipes) as Willie Mays Hayes, only to have it fall short for the lazy fly ball out.

But it didn’t drop in the left fielder’s glove; it almost made the second deck. That made the score 10-2, and the Sox were cruising along.

Mark Loretta got the green light to swing away on a 3-0 count, facing Johnson, and smacked a two-run single down the left field line past the diving Rodriguez. Ortiz shuffled around to score from second base on a Ramirez single, just getting under Jorge Posada’s tag at home. Ramirez belted a leadoff homer in the sixth.

And in a play that truly illustrates how Boston caught all the breaks, Beckett took a liner from Robinson Cano off his calf in the seventh with a man on first and one out. The ricochet bounced right to Lowell on third, though, who was able to get the force out at second.

It was just that kind of night for the Sox.

The frustration of the Yankees was readily apparent. After getting punched out watching strike three zip by him for the third out of the seventh inning, the usually mild-mannered Bernie Williams flipped his helmet back towards home plate in disgust, nearly hitting the umpire. Williams didn’t bother to argue his ejection, and will be lucky to escape a fine from the incident: replays show that Williams glanced back over his shoulder before throwing his helmet towards the umpire, a move that may prove to be too closely reminiscent of Devil Ray minor leaguer Delmon Young’s bat-tossing spectacle that landed him a 50 game suspension.

Even Steinbrenner, who has been suspiciously quiet this season compared to his rantings and blow-ups of past years, couldn’t help to voice displeasure with his multi-million dollar lineup. When asked what he thought of the lopsided loss to division rivals, Steinbrenner simply replied, “I’m upset at a lot of them.”

But without further solicitation, he added, “The third baseman.”

With 19 regular-season head-to-head games, its hard to call this series a Key Series. Though first place is at stake (and currently in control of the Sox), there’s too much season left to make any definitive conclusions.

But this series is still important. The first real matchup of these two powerhouses. Incredible pitching duels. Games played in the heart of enemy territories. It could all very well set the tone for the rest of the season, and the Sox have firmly planted themselves in the driver’s seat.

Barry Bonds* remains at 713 home runs, one away from pulling even with Babe Ruth, thanks to a highlight-reel leaping grab at the fence by Cubs centerfielder Juan Pierre. Had the blast gone to any other part of Giants stadium (AT&T Park, ugh.), especially the short right field porch designed to give Bonds those dramatic home runs into McCovey Cove, the number two spot on the all-time home runs list would be shared by two sluggers. Instead, Pierre tracked the long fly ball back to the wall, timed his leap perfectly, and hauled in a shot that would have just cleared the 399-foot fence.

Bravo, Pierre. I applaud you for keeping the Giants Juicer in the park, even if its just for one more night. It would take a miracle for Bonds not to catch and pass Ruth on the home run list at this point. Everyone knows its only a matter of time before he launches a few more moon shots and claims sole possession of second place.

But Pierre wouldn’t let that happen on his watch.

The fans in Philadelphia had it right, in my opinion. The seats in left field displayed a special banner for Bonds during Friday night’s game.

“Ruth did it on hotdogs & beer. Aaron did it with class.”

The legacy Bonds has built is a little harder to swallow.