If you use an RSS reader, you can subscribe to a feed of all future entries. [What is this?]
John Farrell is not shy with his use of challenges. After just one out in the game he asked Tom Hallion’s crew to take a closer look at Mookie Betts’s play at first where the center fielder was called out. The out call was reversed but the Red Sox didn’t capitalize on the call as David Ortiz grounded into an inning-ending double play. But in the second inning the Red Sox offense came alive. Mike Napoli, Blake Swihart, and Betts all drove in runs to build a five-run lead. Eduardo Rodriguez used that cushion well by holding the Royals to a single run in six and one-third inning of work. But the Red Sox’s Rodriguez wasn’t the one who made baseball headlines. Instead it was New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez, who homered off Justin Verlander for his 3,000th hit. Zach Hample, the season ticket-holder who caught the milestone piece of memorabilia, said he was keeping it. Hample said he has returned the first home run balls of Mike Trout and Didi Gregorious but that “this is something more special.” If Trout continues the path he is blazing, perhaps Hample will regret giving up that particular ball. Even though Major League...
Alex Rodriguez slammed his first pinch-hit home run last night. It was his 660th circuit clout, tying him with Willie Mays and ultimately winning the game. His contract includes a marketing agreement in which he could reap $30 million in bonuses. This home run could have Rodriguez pocketing $6 million, but Brian Cashman is saying they won’t pay it. “We have the right not the obligation to do something. And that’s it. It’s not you do this, you get that. It’s completely different.” The Yankees won last night’s battle but in the skirmish of facial hair the Red Sox obviously prevail. Many of the visiting players sported wispy mustaches. Jacoby Ellsbury’s is a prime example. Justin Masteron’s muttonchops along could beat the entire New York lineup. Throw in Mike Napoli, Wade Miley, and Robbie Ross, Jr. and it is no contest. Game 23: May 1, 2015 New York Yankees14-9 3 W: Esmil Rogers (1-1)H: Dellin Betances (6)S: Andrew Miller (9) 2B: Carlos Beltran (6), Chase Headley (3)HR: Alex Rodriguez (6) Boston Red Sox12-11 2 BS: Tommy Layne (1)L: Junichi Tazawa (0-1) 2B: Xander Bogaerts (2), Ryan Hanigan (2), Mike Napoli (2)HR: Allen Craig (1)...
The country is abuzz about Hillary Clinton’s not so surprising news that she will seek the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Another player threw his hat into a different ring this weekend: Joe Kelly made the first statement in his case for the Cy Young with a seven-inning gem: one hit, one earned run, two walks, and eight strikeouts. The reigning American League Cy Young title holder, Corey Kluber, lasted six and a third innings against the Tigers with seven hits, two earned runs, a walk, and ten strikeouts. Alex Rodriguez’s candidacy for Gold Glove at first base got off to a rocky start. In the second inning Mike Napoli led off with a grounder to Didi Gregorius, which the Yankees shortstop quickly tossed to Rodriguez for the out. Rodriguez couldn’t come up with the ball. Rodriguez’s hybrid mitt isn’t helping him adapt to this new defensive alignment. Adam Warren induced consecutive ground ball outs to Pablo Sandoval and Allen Craig, but Napoli advanced to third base as a result. Daniel Nava lofted the ball to left field where Brett Gardner should have been ready to put an end to the inning. Gardner took a poor route...
All weekend I was wondering if a Red Sox hurler would take it upon himself to drill Alex Rodriguez. After 19 innings with nary a graze the first pitch Ryan Dempster delivered to the Yankees third baseman missed the batter’s legs. The next two pitches were inside and had Rodriguez lurching away. The fourth pitch found its target and Rodriguez’s ribcage will carry reminders of this encounter. The expression on Rodriguez’s face was a weak attempt at passivity, but I saw behind his eyes was fear. He was afraid his teammates wouldn’t leave the dugout and bullpen to back him up. He needn’t have worried. By the time home plate umpire Brian O’Nora sprang up to warn the benches his teammates got to their feet to show support for him. He took his base docilely, very unlike the 2004 game where he would have chirped all the way to first had Jason Varitek not demonstrated the virtue of silence. I think he was so relieved his comrades showed up for him that he forgot that he should be angry at the situation. Joe Girardi was plenty mad for the both of them. The Yankees skipper nearly clocked O’Nora as he...
John Lackey was forthright about his thoughts on the Alex Rodriguez/Biogenesis situation: I’ve got a problem with it. You bet I do. How is he still playing? He obviously did something and he’s playing. I’m not sure that’s right…. It’s pretty evident he’s been doing stuff for a lot of years I’ve been facing him. He took me deep the first time I faced him as a rookie, and he admitted to doing stuff back then. There are a lot of things I want back from him. Lackey didn’t exact repayment in the form of a fastball in the ribs but instead delivered 6⅔ innings of quality pitching. He stifled the Yankees lineup, allowing just 6 hits and a single earned run. Lackey walked three but only struck out one batter. The batter he struck out? None other than Rodriguez. The Red Sox got to Hiroki Kuroda in the fourth inning after three innings of getting a runner on the basepaths but failing to convert. To start the bottom of the frame David Ortiz clouted what should have been his third triple of the season to right field. Instead of pinballing about the curved corner it bounced into the stands....
No more silence. Dennis Eckersley covered for Jerry Remy, who is taking time off. Remy’s son Jared stands accused of murdering Jennifer Martel, his girlfriend and mother of his child. Martel had been assaulted by Remy a week ago. Just last month Slate posted an article in The New Yorker about how Massachusetts dealt with abusers. Domestic violence social workers there developed a high-risk assessment team that, using statistical methods and employing the court system in creative ways, has figured out a way to target the men most likely to kill and take special care to make it that much harder for them to do so. Kelly Dunne started the Domestic Violence High Risk Team in 2005, and since then, not a single case she's taken on has ended in murder, and the men who have been sentenced to GPS tracking have not committed any future acts of violence. It’s not for me to conjecture why Remy was not identified as a high risk potential murderer, but it’s too late for Jennifer and her four-year old child. But if you or anyone you know is in a situation like Jennifer, go to the National Domestic Violence Hotline site or call...
This series win by the Baltimore Orioles allowed them to make up ground in the AL East standings, going from a losing record to a winning one. The Orioles lost to the Yankees last night and now three teams are tied with five wins (Baltimore, Boston, and New York) and the other two teams in the division have four wins. It’s early, but the pursuit of the pennant will be hotly contested. That heat didn’t translate to the Red Sox bats. They had no extra base hits and scored a paltry two runs. Stephen Drew led off the frame with a walk but Jackie Bradley, Jr. and Jacoby Ellsbury struck out. Shane Victorino lined a single to right and Drew advanced to third on the hit. Dustin Pedroia dipped down low to rope a single to right, plating Drew. Mike Napoli followed with a single to left to score Victorino. Spot starter Alfredo Aceves pitched well enough to win but Clayton Mortensen, Andrew Miller, and Koji Uehara collectively allowed the Orioles’ go-ahead run to score in the seventh. Manny Machado was in the mix, a young player at the hot corner poised to join Evan Longoria and Will Middlebrooks in...
I had chalked this up to a loss even before the first pitch was thrown, but John Lackey pitched competently enough to keep the Yankees to a handful of runs and was supported by perfect innings by Manny Delcarmen and Felix Doubront. When two questionable relievers hold the line in a pressure-packed situation, you hope that the offense will come through and notch a run or two. The Red Sox shot out to an early lead in the second by virtue of Victor Martinez’s leadoff homer and consecutive doubles by Adrian Beltre and Mike Lowell. After the second inning the visiting batters managed a mere four baserunners: singles by Marco Scutaro and Beltre, a base on balls by J.D. Drew, and Darnell McDonald reaching on Ramiro Pena’s error. Pena filled in at third for Alex Rodriguez. In typical Rodriguez fashion the third baseman was scratched from the game because of a freak injury during batting practice. Rodriguez was too preoccupied saying hi to Joe Buck that he didn’t realize Lance Berkman peppered a ball straight at him. After the strike to the shin Rodriguez was shown rolling on the turf in agony, like Cristiano Ronaldo. X-rays were negative. The last-minute...
As the NESN camera panned over the ruins of Ancienne Stade Fasciste Tom Caron said the sight made him kind of sad. “I’m not sad at all,” commented Dennis Eckersley. “I gave up so many bombs in that place.” Eckersley is not alone. While Phil Hughes and Chan Ho Park surrendered two homers apiece and Boone Logan one, it was Jonathan Papelbon who relinquished two pivotal clouts in the bottom of the ninth. Alex Rodriguez tied the game with a blast to center field with one on and one out. Fastball after fastball after fastball, Papelbon still somehow got Robinson Cano out. With two out, Francisco Cervelli was hit by a pitch. Marcus Thames could have closed his eyes and still won the game because it was obvious that Papelbon was going to throw his questionable heat. Perhaps being in the ambit of Mariano Rivera made Papelbon think he could throw the same pitch over and over and over again and find success. What Papelbon forgot was that his fastball is straighter than John Hodgman. What would it take to erase the memory of Daisuke Matsuzaka’s atrocious start? I would have settled for J.D. Drew’s three-run homer in the fifth...
Game 132: August 27, 2008 Red Sox 11 W: Paul Byrd (9-11)H: Manny Delcarmen (17) 77-55, 3 game winning streak Yankees 3 L: Sidney Ponson (7-5) 70-62, 2 game losing streak Highlights: Come on now, Yankee lovers. Some of you are up in arms because your team is “inconsistent.” Your guys scored three runs on consecutive nights; that’s pretty consistent. You’ve got that going for you. How I’ll remember Yankee Stadium…Jason Bay, with his lightning-quick swing, lacing a double to his best friend Xavier Nady, off whom the ball deflected to the noodle-armed Johnny Damon. Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz trotting home on the hit, with both having about the same length to their strides.The scintilla of hope granted by Alex Rodriguez’s first-inning RBI double and fourth-inning run that drifted into obsolescence, just as the haughty expressions Yankee fans are so used displaying dimmed with each passing inning. Frustration was meted out by, of all pitchers, Paul Byrd.Sidney Ponson, sweating and puffing, walking in the go-ahead run in the fifth and then allowing a sacrifice fly. Dismissed from the mound he slouched on the bench, the top rail of the dugout fence covering his eyes as if NESN was...
Alex Rodriguez parlayed his recent heads-up play to distract Howie Clark into an endorsement deal with SC Johnson Wax’s for their flagship Shout line of products. Spokesperson Reid Harrison stated the company had no qualms about signing the Yankees third baseman to a multi-million dollar deal. “We figured we should strike while the iron is hot. A-Rod is as versatile as Shout products, and every aspect of his life will be used to demonstrate Shout’s utility.” “There’s Shout Wipes to take care of those stains that happen while you’re on the go. Lab-tested to remove lipstick and other cosmetics,” Harrison said while giving a knowing wink. Rodriguez has been the subject of tabloid speculation of extramarital encounters both on the road and in New York City. “Shout Trigger attacks those insistent dirt stain you can get while sliding hard into second base, and Shout Citrus Action, with an effervescent lemon scent, is perfect for cleansing and freshening the garments of a toddler, like the one Alex and Cynthia are raising,” beamed Harrison while displaying mock-ups of the Rodriguez family with various Shout products. In addition to his controversial play at Toronto, Rodriguez was also criticized for attempting to knock over...
Disappointed by the lukewarm response to their “Find Your Game Face” campaign of earlier this year, Nike has secured Alex Rodriguez as the primary focus for their next advertising push. “A-Rod combines just the right mix of humor and intensity that strongly appeals to our primary demographics,” said a Nike spokesperson. “Everything he does seems to bring a smile to the faces of fans near and far.” Nike envisions a line of accessories, such as handbags, to be launched with the A-Rod ad blitz. “That A-Rod is so hot right now,” explained the spokesperson. Special thanks to Joe a.k.a. gerky for the image, inspired by this thread at redsoxnation.net (free registration required)....
If you use an RSS reader, you can subscribe to a feed of all future entries. [What is this?]
Photo courtesy of the Boston Public Library’s Sports Temples of Boston.