Walking Tall: Boston Red Sox

Public Service Announcement:  OK, here we go.  C’mon.  I’ve been a good soldier, right?  Keeping my head up, right?  Stiff upper lip and all that.  Keepn’ the hope alive, Jesse Jackson style.  Not a discouraging word, right?  I bleed Red Sox red.  What’s a fella to do?  I’m coming to my wit’s end here.  So again I ask you, what am I supposed to do?  Throw Papelbon under the bus?  The guys been lights out.  30 saves.  .94 ERA.  .73 WHIP for you fantasy guys.  Best closer in the league.  But he blows his second consecutive save last night when he gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth to the Royals. The cotton pickn’ Royals! I don’t know what to do.  I want to toe the line, Rocky Burnett style.  I do.         

Things are getting mighty hectic around here, though.  The Yankees make a bunch of moves at the deadline.  The Yankees jump three games ahead of the Sox.  The Sox lose four of seven series since the All-Star break. The Sox lose four of their last five series. David Ortiz and Manny Ramírez have been keeping the Sox afloat all by themselves.  So?  What would Papi do?  He would hit one out and save the day.  That’s what, godammit! 

So here I am, Josh Q. Public, poppn’ my collar, Three 6 Mafia style.  No chinks in the armor.  No looking back.  We are going to take this.  Manny’s not giving up.  Last night, Manny just being Manny, hit a bomb to extend his hitting streak to 24 games.  Eat that DiMaggio.  

The Thrill goes tonight.  5-1 2.04 ERA with  42 K’s and 4 walks when he pitches after Red Sox losses.  Pretty pretty good.  Papi is the best hitter in baseball.  Best clutch hitter ever.  The Sox defense is best in baseball.  Javy’s starting to hit…two run double last night.  The weakness is in the 4 & 5 pitchers.  Wake’s back soon, his injury has been downplayed.  Boom Boom Beckett, and Boomer Wells on one leg, looked promising of late.  The Greek God of Walks continues to be outstanding at lead-off. 

I’m not giving up and neither are they.  Theo:  “This is the toughest stretch. It is the time that defines a club and I’m confident we will overcome the adversity.”  Me too, buddy.  So take your stupid Abreu.  I don’t care.  When the dust settles, we’ll see who’s on top. Go Sox, baby!!!

Public Knowledge: 

1.  Maurice Clarett.  Are you kidding me?  1 Bullet proof vest.  3 semi-automatic handguns.  1 AK47 type assault weapon.  1 half bottle of vodka.  What the hell was he doing?  Where in hell was he going?  He was driving a few blocks away from the chick who was set to testify against him next week.  Maybe.  But do you need all that?  Armed like you’re on your way to Lebanon?  This guy is out of his mind.  If the NFL just let him play a couple of years back…

2.  Pedro Power.  Last night, 7.1 innings pitched, 2 earned runs, 2 K’s, and the win.  He’s now 9-4.  Good news for the Mets.

3.  It really looks like Curtis Martin is finished.  Rookie of the Year.  5 Pro Bowls.  NFL rushing title in 2004.  Rushed for over 1,000 yards in his first 10 professional seasons, a feat previously accomplished only by your boy,  Barry Sanders.  Currently 4th on the all-time rushing yardage list.  Kanoodled with Toni Braxton.  But most importantly, this guy was a class act from day one.  One of the main reasons Parcells made it to the Super Bowl with the Pats.  He will be missed.

4.  Curb Your Enthusiasm coming back.  Thank god.  By far, the funniest show on TV.  The dates haven’t been released yet, but I can’t wait.

5.  Isiah Thomas has filed court papers denying he sexually harassed a former team executive, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.  Ya right, Zeke.  Good luck.

6.  Al Harrington‘s new agent said he is willing to listen to offers from all teams.  Good news for the Pacers.  Bird’s been trying to get him back ever since he let him go.

Public Figures:  Brought to you by the good folks at Elias Sports Bureau and ESPN the Worldwide Leader.

1.  Randy Johnson‘s bid for his third no-hitter was spoiled by Tadahito Iguchi‘s single on an 0-2 pitch leading off the seventh inning. Of the 27 pitchers to take a no-no into the seventh inning over the last two seasons, only three others allowed their first hit on an 0-2 pitch: Johan Santana and Brandon Webb both to I-Rod (Who never did steroids); and Glendon Rusch to David Eckstein.

It was 12th time that the Big Eunuch held his opponent hitless through six innings, the highest total among active pitchers. In fact, only two active pitchers have done so even half as often: Rocket(7) and Pedro (6).  Why can’t the Sox get guys like them?

Johnson pitched the last no-no in the bigs, a perfect game against the Braves on May 18, 2004. There have been 5,990 games played since May 19, 2004, by far the longest span of games without a no-hitter in major-league history.

2.  Justin Morneau‘s eighth-inning home run, the winning hit in the Twins‘ 4-3 victory over the Tigers, was his 30th homer of the year. Morneau is the first Twins player to reach that level since Kent Hrbek, Tom Brunansky, and Gary Gaetti all did it in 1987. Minnesota’s streak of 18 seasons without a 30-homer player was the longest since the White Sox ended a 69-year drought, longest in big-league history, when Bill Melton, who? hit 33 home runs in 1970.

3.  Johan Santana was the winning pitcher for the Twins. Santana has won 17 of his last 18 decisions during the month of August, dating back to Aug. 22, 2002.

4.  Jake Westbrook scattered nine hits in the Indians‘ 4-0 shutout of the Angels, six days after allowing 15 hits in a victory over the Red Sox. Only two other pitchers in the last 50 years threw a complete-game shutout after allowing as many as 15 hits in their previous appearance: Rocket in 1988 and Jack Billingham in 1977.

5.  B.J. Ryan earned his save in the Blue Jays’ 4-3 win over the Orioles. Ryan came in with one out in the eighth and the tying run on second base. It was only the 20th save this season in which a pitcher entered in the eighth inning with the tying run in scoring position. Ryan is one of four pitchers with two such saves; the others are Bobby Jenks, J.J. Putz and Tyler Walker.

6.  Who leads the American League in blown saves since June 1? My boy, Jonathan Papelbon.  Pap-smear blew a one-run ninth-inning lead in the Red Sox’s 5-4 loss to the Royals. It was Papelbon’s second consecutive blown save, and his fifth in his last 15 opportunities after starting the season 20-for-20. Papelbon shares the A.L. lead in blown saves since June 1 with Ambiorix Burgos.  Great.

7.  The Mets gave Pedro an early 4-0 lead, and Pedro maintained his career-long undefeated streak in such games. When given a lead of four or more runs as a starting pitcher, Pedro has a record of 117-0 with eight no-decisions. Martinez has a 3-0 record in postseason games with a lead of four or more runs, with one memorable no-decision: the Grady Little loss.  Thanks for reminding me.

8.  Mike Piazza hit a pair of home runs off Pedro in the Padres’ loss. Although Piazza ranks second to Darryl Strawberry in career home runs at Shea Stadium (127-105), four players have as many or more multiple-homer games there. The leaders: Strawberry, 11; Dave “King Kong”  Kingman, nine; Gary Carter, seven; Bobby Bonilla and Piazza, six.  I know, too much Mets talk.

Peace Out Homies.   Six Two and Even!

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