Red Sox fans... just enjoy the moments

The Red Sox won a great game tonight. Cody Ross launched a walk off three run homer to win the game in the ninth, taking a victory when the Red Sox were 2 outs from losing to Chicago.

It was a fun game, one where Pedroia, Ellsbury and Crawford all played at the same time.

I was thrilled when I saw the highlights of the win.
And I love Cody Ross and his enthusiasm.

But I didn't scoreboard watch.
I didn't check the standings.

In all honesty, I don't know where the Red Sox are in the Wild Card standings and I don't really care. I have no hopes for this team for any meaningful success in 2012.

Red Sox fans should be happy that the Felix Doubronts and Will Middlebrookses and Pedro Ciriacos are playing well and that Clay Buchholz threw a good game.

This team has gone from winning to losing streaks all year.
Just enjoy the winning streaks and don't focus on October.

Be in the present.

If that results in a playoff berth, then great.
If not, then enjoy the good parts.

This team is not a pennant contender. But they can still be fun, as long as they keep cutting to Valentine on TV.

(He just seems miserable, doesn't he? HE should enjoy the moment.)



 

Hey injured Red Sox... take your time rehabbing

The Red Sox just keep winning. I'm still not convinced they are winning a Division or Wild Card this year, but man it is fun seeing them win.

One refrain I kept hearing from Sox fans was "wait until everyone is healthy."

Well the Red Sox are far from healthy. But when the likes of Daniel Nava, Franklin Morales, Cody Ross and Aaron Cook are kicking this much butt, maybe their injured players should spend more time in the trainers room.

What Red Sox fan would rather hear the dreaded words "Now pitching, John Lackey" instead of giving Aaron Cook another shot. Cook pitched an 81 pitch masterpiece today. I think Clay Buchholz averaged 81 pitches an inning.

THIS Red Sox team is fun and has guys who aren't cashing the big checks and breaking down.

If Carl Crawford comes back, does that send Daniel Nava and his .902 OPS to the bench?
Or maybe Cody Ross and HIS .915 OPS will get cobwebs while Crawford cashes a check.

I don't think so.
Come on Sox. Play the players who are actually winning games and appease the fans. We all know Crawford and Lackey are making a lot of money. Doesn't mean you have to play them!

I can get used to THIS Red Sox team!

How did this happen?
A dead from the neck up Red Sox team came staggering into Fenway Park against the Tampa Bay Rays, the team that will probably win the AL East.

So naturally they took the first 3 games of the series and will play the Patriots Day Game to try and complete the sweep.

Of course Cody Ross subs for Jacoby Ellsbury and crushes a pair of homers.

And they have as many wins they could have lost as they have losses they could have won.

How odd is that?

Let's update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES -3

April 9 - 4-2 win in Toronto. (A day after blowing leads in the 9th and 11th, the Sox win their first game of the year with a 3 run 9th inning rally capped off by Ryan Sweeney's 2 out go ahead RBI single)
April 14 - 13-5 win against Tampa Bay. (Buchholz fell behind 4-0 in the first but the Sox slugged 5 homers to come from behind.)
April 15 - 6-4  win against Tampa Bay. (David Ortiz doubled twice including a tie breaker in the 6th.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES -3

April 5 - 3-2 loss in Detroit. (The Red Sox rally to tie the season opener with 2 outs in the 9th only to lose on a bases loaded walk off single by Austin Jackson.)
April 8 - 13-12 loss in Detroit. (The Red Sox bullpen surrender a 3 run game tying homer in the 9th to Cabrera and Avila smacked a 2 run, 2 out walk off come from behind homer to win it in as brutal a loss as you will ever see.
April 11 - 3-1 loss in Toronto. (Lester throws a complete game but Ricky Romero shut down Boston's bats and Rajai Davis manufactured a critical run.)

EVEN!

Are you kidding me?

A win tomorrow and the Sox will be at .500?

How did THIS happen?

See you bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow morning.

GET UP ELLSBURY

The Red Sox are FINALLY having a positive day!
Beautiful day at Fenway.
Beckett looks solid.

So OF COURSE Jacoby Ellsbury is hurt and has to leave the game.
Get up Jacoby.

I am not expecting a pennant this year, but I don't want a season with center fielder CODY ROSS!!!!
 

Hey Red Sox fans... don't worry about right field

An odd thing has happened in some of my baseball discussions over the last week or so. I've been asked by a few people about the Red Sox right field situation.

"They can't POSSIBLY be going into the season relying on Cody Ross and Ryan Sweeney, can they?"

One person asking me that, fine. But a couple have. And it confuses me like nobody's business.

The Red Sox have a new GM.
The Red Sox have a new manager.
The Red Sox don't have a captain anymore.
The Red Sox are coming off a monumental collapse to end the 2011 season.
The Red Sox have lost their closer.
The Red Sox have an inconsistent, injury prone rotation.
For first time since 1918, the Red Sox will have management that is NOT charged with the task of winning the World Series we've been waiting for generations.

And they are in a division with the Rays and the Yankees who have forced the Red Sox to third place finishes the past 2 seasons.

Keeping all that in mind, people are worried about the right fielder?

Even with Carl Crawford's injuries (and lousy 2011 season), the Red Sox have three potential MVP candidates in their lineup (Gonzalez, Pedroia and Ellsbury) not to mention Big Papi and Youk.

That's 5 kick butt players in their line up. So people are worried about the #6 hitter?

With the Red Sox rotation riddled with question marks, it doesn't matter if the Red Sox clone Hank Aaron and put him in right field. They'll still finish third.

Yeah, Jon Lester is solid. But Beckett is good every other year and crappy the other ones. He was good last year. You know what THAT means for 2012. Clay Buchholz is turning into Ben Sheets/Rich Harden. He's great when healthy, and never is. Dice-K is supposedly back in June. I assume they mean 2012. And the rest of the rotation are former relievers making the transition.

Forgive me if I think that's a bigger problem than the #6 hitter.

And Cody Ross's involvement reminds me of another fact.
Was John Jay considered a world beater when 2011 started? Allen Craig?
In 2010 who was clamoring for Aaron Rowand or Andres Torres?
Chris Duncan and Juan Encarnacion in 2006?
Scott Podsednik in 2005?

How many times do you see a team go all the way to the World Series title with someone less than an All Star in a key outfield position?

The great Joe Torre Yankee teams started the likes of Shane Spencer, Chad Curtis, Glenallen Hill and an over the hill Tim Raines in the outfield and won multiple World Series.

So maybe some combination of Sweeney, Ross, Kalish or the 15th caller on WEEI will make right field work out in 2012.

Chances are the Red Sox aren't doing squat this year anyway.
And taking the "We need to win NOW with All Stars everywhere" could turn them into the Mets.

There are bigger problems with the Red Sox than "Our #6 hitter isn't an All Star."
Stay focused, lower those expectations and don't get lost in the minutiae.

If the Giants and Dodgers play a wild game and nobody is there to see it...

Last night the Giants were in total control of the game for 8 of 9 innings it seemed like.

Then, blink, the Dodgers tied the game.

Then, blink, the Giants have a 3 run lead again on Cody Ross's 2 out 3 run 9th inning jack.

With all of these last at bat victories, Brian Wilson will have a shot at 20 wins before poor Matt Cain does.

But did you see where the Cody Ross homer landed?

The left field seats were practically empty.
Yeah I know it was a Wednesday, but still!

This is a Dodgers and Giants game!

Is this all residue from the Bryan Stow incident?
Fallout from the McCourts?

Either way it is sad. Los Angeles should be a huge baseball town, especially after the Lakers are out of it.

There must be a billionaire owner out there. One of my sons is a Dodger fan and in a few years he will be of the age where he will start to know the players and the ins and outs of the game.

Let's hope by then they have management that cares.

POST SEASON MVPS WHO BEGAN THE SEASON WITH A DIFFERENT TEAM

When Cody Ross broke camp with the Florida Marlins this spring, I think it is a safe bet to make that he DIDN’T think he was going to become a folk hero for the Giants in 2010.

I would say he is one of the great mid season waiver wire pick ups of all time (the greatest STILL being Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1926… who the Cardinals picked up from the Cubs and he clinched the World Series that year.)

So it got me thinking… who else has won a post season MVP in a season where they started with another team?

And because I am a lunatic, I am going to try and list them all.

POST SEASON MVPS WHO BEGAN THE SEASON WITH A DIFFERENT TEAM

DONN CLENDENON
New York Mets
1969 World Series MVP

Acquired in trade with Montreal Expos
for Bill Carden, Dave Colon, Kevin Collin and Steve Renko




RICKEY HENDERSON
Oakland A’s
1989 ALCS MVP

Acquired in trade with New York Yankees
for Greg Cadaret, Eric Plunk and Luis Polonia.


MIKE DEVEREAUX
Atlanta Braves
1995 NLCS MVP

Acquired in trade with Chicago White Sox
for Andre King



DAVID JUSTICE
New York Yankees
2000 ALCS MVP

Acquired in trade with Cleveland Indians
for Zach Day, Ricky Ledee and Jake Westbrook



CODY ROSS
San Francisco Giants
2010 NLCS MVP

Claimed off of waivers from Florida Marlins.

Each of those GMs for those teams probably crowed big time when their pick ups got some hardware in October.

I wonder if any will be added to this list at the end of the World Series.

(Did someone say Cliff Lee?)