Wrapup of 2006 Yanks, playoff records...

We're officially putting Jayson Stark, ESPN.com writer, on our staff. His latest article (see link below) puts the Yanks futile playoff efforts into perspective. And, oh my, it's some great stuff...

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2006/insider/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=2620662&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1

A few highlights...

1) The Yankees are the first team ever to win 95-plus for six straight seasons without winning a World Series in any of them.

2) These 2004-05-06 Yankees are the fourth team in the division-play era to win 95 or more three straight years without even playing in a World Series, let alone winning one.

3) So what have we established? We've established that these Yankees now belong in the same conversation as the most tragic October figures of all time.

4) Even the Red Sox have never had anything like this happen to them. And, of course, they never had A-Rod around, either.

5) Yankees just set a record for most consecutive postseason series in which they led the series at some point. If the Yankees have led in all those series, it means that, in each of the seven postseason series Joe Torre's Yankees have lost, they had to come from AHEAD to lose all seven.

6) You probably could have figured this, but the Yankees are now the first team ever to lose a postseason series in which they were ahead in six straight seasons.

7) The Yankees' streak isn't just a baseball record. It's a record for all four major North American pro sports.

Let's reflect on some of that fabulous info for a moment. The Yanks are actually building a case to be one of the worst postseason performers EVER, in any sport. Now that's quite a statement.

And you Yankee fans thought "The Greatest Choke of All Time" would be the worst it gets. Nope. It's almost to the point where we want the Yanks in the playoffs to see how bad it can get. Not to mention the building angst among Yankee fans...

Should I stay or should I go now? Torre is gone & then he's back...

Should we call in the clash on this one? First, Newsday reports he's gone then Georgie says "OK I guess he can stay". What an overwhelming endorsement. After so many seasons with a $200M payroll and playoff futility, the ax will eventually fall, maybe even by midseason 2007.

Cashman also claimed that A-Rod will not be traded. But his statement "We're going to figure this thing out together" is baffling. Figure what out? That he can't handle the pressure when it means the most? His 4 for 41 and no RBI in his last 12 playoff games speaks volumes, not to mention Torre moving him to 8th in the lineup. His regular season numbers are outstanding (aside from league leading 24 errors) and the downside is that he kills the clubhouse chemistry. He'll help get you to the playoffs but will fold like a house of cards once you get there. Not good from a "superstar"... (By the way, what's up with A-Rod asking for privacy while shopping in NYC?)

$urgeries?

Both the Big Unit (back) and Giambi (wrist) are both headed for the knife. Big Unit is probably entering his last season, and will be the #4 starter. It's almost like watching MJ in his last season for the Wizards, but worse. Giambi battles yet another injury. Guess that HGH can't fix everything.

Option$?

Looks like the Yanks will turn down the option on Mussina, but will renegotiate a deal for lesser dollars. Will they give him more than 1 year? Risky for a 38 year old with a history of breaking down.

Do they bring back Sheffield? He certainly can't play first, and even the Yanks won't spend $13M for a disgruntled 4th OF. Don't be surprised to see him in RF at Fenway next season...

Jaret Wright? They either pay him $7M to pitch for them or $4M to go away. He'll be back for the extra $3M, especially with the scarce pitching free agent market.

Rambling$...

Carl Pavano? Will the Yanks ever see him pitch? They still have to sort thru his "accident". Have any faith in the offseason conditioning program to prevent injury to his shoulder, elbow, back, and buttocks?

Will the Yanks pursue Zito (will vastly overpay) or Schmidt (damaged goods from NL)? Right now, the 2007 rotation looks like: Wang, Mussina, Wright, Johnson, Karstens (with Hughes waiting in the wings). Yanks fans should pray for Zito and bullpen help...

Yanks are still a very old team and Cashman has a lot of work to do. It looks to be a very interesting and long offseason...

Letterman gets in on the act...

The always funny top 10, from Mon Oct 11th...

Top Ten New York Yankees Excuses (for choking in round 1)

10. Wanted Columbus Day off to get to all the sales
9. Thought series was best 6 out of 11
8. We've already missed the first three episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" -- enough is enough
7. Thought Joe Torre told us to give 10 percent
6. Players distracted by erotic text messages from Mark Foley
5. Shouldn't have switched to the cheaper generic steroids
4. Clubhouse caterer replaced E. coli-tainted spinach with E. coli-tainted lettuce
3. Uh, global warming?
2. More focused on how they're going to get by on a lousy $16 million a year
1. What's the point? North Korea's gonna nuke us at any moment

Thanks Dave...

Murderers who? Tigers take 3 in a row!

Wow. Was that the Tigers on steroids or the worst postseason performance by an offensive juggernaut ever?

These are the Tigers that were freefalling and limped into the playoffs. The Yanks were well rested and had arguably the best offense in decades.

Must have been the tension in the clubhouse A-Rod referred to. Or was it everyone besides Jeter? Games 3 & 4 were just embarassing. They didn't even show up...

A-Rod now hitting in the 8 spot was 1-14, Giambi 1-8, Sheffield couldn't catch anything at first, and Torre inserted Melky for an offensive spark. Melky?

Torre always gets the credit when they win, but he should get the lions share of blame for this one. A-Rod will be the villian and take most of the heat. He should take some, but Torre is the one that lost control of the clubhouse, and ultimately team chemistry. The Tigers had more energy, more emotion, and just plain wanted it more.

Thats 3 straight playoff series losses now, and 3-10 in their last 13 postseason games. Keep counting those AL East crowns (and ALDS losses).

A few randoms...

Best sign in the playoffs? "Hey Johnny you left your playoff beard in Beantown"... Priceless...

Best random moment? Jim Leyland goes to the fence to kiss his wife & kids thru the fence after clinching. Nice moment. Then some random dude sticks his lips thru the fence & Leyland kisses him on the hat. Hilarious...

Best fan celebration? Detroit. The players hive fiving the fans, then spraying them down with champagne standing on the dugouts. Congrats Detroit, its been a while. It's also a little bit sweeter beating the Yanks...

Uh oh, it's a deep 2-1 hole...

Kenny Rogers was masterful. That was easily his best clutch performance and had to be one of the best ever in the playoffs. That high powered offense of the ages looked baffled. Murderers row hasn't advanced a runner in over 9 innings...

A-Rod made what looked like a nice tag play at 3rd but the runner was safe and ultimately scored. Bernie hit a deep shot to left (which he thought was gone when he hit it) that just missed the foul pole. That Yankee mystique of old is apparently in hiding. They're not getting the breaks they're used to getting.

The Big Unit is showing his age and obviously couldn't overcome his back issues. The once great warrior couldn't get thru 6, giving up 8H & 5R. Will he return next season?

Now the season rests on the arm of Wright. Good luck with that one. Looks like the stumbling Tigers can pull this one out...

Your rival's team not in the playoffs?

This is absolutely priceless. It was sent to us by one of you faithful Yankee folks out there (would have caught it sooner but was sitting in the spam folder).










Get it here: http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/fan_forum/lasorda/

But don't worry Yankee fans, you'll be getting one soon enough...

Yanks evade red-hot Twins, get stumbling Tigers...

Yup, even Siegfried and Roy aren't too worried about these Tigers...

Coming off a terrible collapse and backing into the playoffs (very uncharacteristic for a Leyland team), things look lined up nicely for the Yanks. With Sheff and Matsui back, they have the most formidable lineup in the playoffs. There was no Sox series to wear them down. They've been able to rest their players. The stars are all aligned...

But there are only 3 things that win in October. Pitching, pitching, and pitching. With an ailing Unit and worn out pen, the Yanks pin their season on Mussina, Wang, and scoring a ton of runs. Don't see it carrying them too far...

They should be able to beat the reeling Tigers unless their young rotation steps it up. Verlander is more than capable of tossing some zero's. But they've been pitching worse than the Yanks have of late. Their lineup features 6 guys that hit 19 or more homers, so they can easily do some damage.

Anything can happen in a short series. Bad breaks, injuries, surprise contributors... A Detroit victory certainly wouldn't be shocking.

But just like St. Louis, these Tigers should be breaking out the golf clubs soon...

Is it A-Rod? Or Stuart Smalley?

The whole A-Rod thing is priceless, and it still won't go away.
Even when the Yanks clinched, he was still getting tooled on. Why? Poor bastard can't get out of his own way.

Excerpt from a recent ESPN article:

"When people write bad things about me, I don't know if it's because I'm good-looking, I'm biracial, I make the most money, I play on the most popular team ..."

Wow. Will someone read that back to him so he can understand it? What color is the sky on your planet?

Even Stuart Smalley is like, DUDE? Tone it down...

His teammates will not relent, especially Giambi. Where the heck is Torre in all of this? Don't you grab your team by the collar & tell them to zip it? How are you managing this team if you allow this to continue?

Is there a way out? Only if he has monster playoffs, but the Yanks still must win. Remember too that he has more pressure on him now than ever. He certainly hasn't been able to handle it so far. Will more pressure help or hurt? If he struggles, his days in pinstripes may be over. Will he get the big hit when it counts? No way. He'll be pressing too hard and then he'll be packing...

Yanks finally clinch, but playoff hopes doomed...

Took them long enough. Sox imploded a while ago. Don't pat yourselves on the back too hard.

Yanks Playoffs Doomed? You decide...

"Unhappy family? Yankees give A-Rod tough love" http://x.go.com/cgi/x.pl?goto=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2595523&name=FPT-2595523-092013&srvc=sz

That's a recent title of an ESPN.com article. Pitching matchups aside (which are not in Yanks favor either), chemistry is a huge part of winning. Just ask the 2004 version of the Sox. With a team supposedly cruising to the playoffs, having guys take shots at each other in the clubhouse is a bad sign. Even Torre has had to speak with A-Rod.

So lets see, A-Rod has the fans, teammates, and the manager against him. You might as well hit him 9th now. Thats going to be ugly.

So enjoy going to the playoffs while it lasts, it doesn't look good. Must be hard rooting for a team fighting within itself. Don't really wish that on anyone.

The only question now is who will take A-Rod off your hands in the offseason & how much is Georgie going to pony up to get it done?

Yanks drop 3 of 4 at home to Sox…

We know, we know. It doesn’t matter and the Sox aren’t going to the playoffs. But your playoff bound Yankees just dropped 3 of 4 to a pitching staff that consisted of:

Beckett: 2ER
Tavares: 4ER
Snyder: 2ER
Jarvis: 4ER

Who? Yikes. And your Bombers countered with Wang, Johnson, Wright, and Mussina (your playoff rotation). All this against a lineup without Manny. The game they did manage to win took a late inning rally. Well, they must be on cruise control. Yup, that’s what it is. They really weren’t trying to win. They didn't want to clinch against the Sox at home either. By the way, the Brooklyn Bridge is for sale...

Yes the Sox will be watching the playoffs, but witnessing another $200M go down in flames will be entertaining. Playoffs are about pitching. Wang, Mussina, and Johnson don’t match up against the A’s, Minn, or the struggling Tigers. So good luck with that.

That’s right folks. Another disappointing season without a ring. Keep counting your division titles. Maybe you’ll catch the Braves. Who cares about division titles? Teams that don't win championships. And how many rings do the Braves have again?

A ray of hope? Not really...

Sox finally win two in a row, and against a playoff contender no less. Even more silly, their starters were Julian Tavarez & Kason Gabbard. Your starter tonight? Kyle Snyder... Here's your rotation for the next 5 starts:

Snyder, Beckett, DiNardo, Tavarez, Gabbard - with no closer... Wowch…

Although some of you feel somewhat optimistic, realize that the Sox need to reel off something like 18-5 to get in. Or let’s live in the land of make-believe for a minute. The Sox stay 6 behind in the wildcard race, and manage to sweep the Twins (19th - 21st) to bring it to 3 games. Then they have 9 games to close the gap. Not that far fetched you say?

Without a healthy Schilling, no Wells, no Papelbon, a weakened pen, and still no Wakefield, what are you smokin? The only hope is that the lineup needs to get red hot and they bash their way in.

Both Minn & Chisox would need to implode. Chisox still face Angels, A's, Det, Sea, & Minn. Minn has an easier path vs. Det, A's, & Chisox. So if you're scoreboard watching still, keep an eye on Minn as Chisox should fall back.

In 2004, the Sox went 20-11 to finish the regular season. Their remaining schedule only has roadblocks with 4 vs. Yanks and 3 vs. Minn. Is it plausable? Yup. Probable? Nope. Mathematically they’re still in it. They need to play well and get a ton of help.

Realistically? Let’s just hope the injury bug has left the building. It’s just uncanny, never seen anything like this.

Lastly, please keep your thoughts and prayers around Jon Lester who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of Lymphoma Cancer. The 22 year old will undergo chemo for 4 months. Good luck Jon...

Quick, someone get a muzzle for the fat lady...

She might not be singing just yet, but she's a hummin...

With Papi going back to Boston for testing (insert our heart attack here) it doesn't look good. That may be the final straw. Who can carry the offense with Manny out too? Yikes.

It doesn't look like they'll be able to survive until they get healthy. You can't call an MLB worst 8-19 record in Aug surviving...

Here is the AAA version of the Sox last night in Oak:

P - Kason Gabbard

Crisp
Cora
Loretta
Youkilis
Hinske
Lowell
J Lopez
C Pena
Pedroia


Let's just have Jeff Spicoli fill out the lineup card for Sept...

No Ortiz, No Manny, No Pitching, "NO DICE!"

____________________________________________

The Sox have 31 games left, with a 6 game defecit for the wild card and 7 game defecit for the AL East. In order to make the playoffs, the teams they are chasing would need to go 16-17. The Sox? Need to go 21-10 the rest of the way. With their current roster, that would be quite a feat. Don't hold your breath very long...

____________________________________________

The WBC affect?

Lets not pretend that this created the downfall of the Sox. While it did affect them, there are plenty of reasons they are in the state they're currently in.

The WBC has roughly 50 well known major leaguers on their rosters. Of those 50, we count 17 players that have spent significant time on the DL, had significant negative effects to their stats, or both. That's about 35% of players affected. Is the WBC to blame? Maybe. Would these players performed differently or been injured if they didn't participate? You decide. It just seems like 35% is a little more than a coincidence. Here's the list of players affected:

Bobby Abreu
Rafael Betancourt
Adrian Beltre
Jorge Cantu
Bartolo Colon
Lenny DiNardo
Derrick Lee
Brad Lidge
Esteban Loaiza
Jake Peavy
Wily Mo Pena
Albert Pujols
Alex Rodriguez
Huston Street
Mike Timlin
Jason Varitek
Dontrelle Willis
Victor Zambrano

The Yankee Euphoria...

For those of you that don't know what "euphoria" means: A feeling of great happiness or well-being, commonly exaggerated and not necessarily well founded. (Dictionary.com apparently doesn't like the Yanks either) Heck, even Shatner the ultimate "over-actor" isn't buying it...

Let's recap...

1) It's only August
2) The Yanks have plenty of time to blow it
3) As long as the Yanks are 3 games up with 4 to go, the Sox will be fine (2004 revisited)
4) Yanks pitching is not that good. It just didn't suck as bad as the Sox pitching over 5 games
5) The next 4 game set at Yankee Stadium will allow you to suffer at home in Sept.

While it has been so nice to hear from all of you regarding the Sox demise, there are still 40 games left. It really can't get worse for the Sox, and can't get any better for the Yanks. Don't expect all the breaks continuing to come your way...

But your Yankees just lost Mussina, at least for his next start. His track record late in the season isn't good. Ponson is horrible, and the Unit is an average #3 starter at this point. More pressure just got dumped on Wang.

Still confident? Riding high? Must be living in fantasy land...

You've just been set up for another fall Yankee Fans.


Only this time its from higher ground...

Has anyone seen our pitching staff?

Looks like it may not take those 24 games after all. If the staff continues to pitch like this, it will be over before the west coast trip ends. It's been awful. It's almost like they don't want it bad enough. Aside from Schilling, no one has shown any guts from the staff. And if the starter managed to pitch well enough for a win, the pen blows it. They should have taken 2 games from the Tigers and at least 2 from the Yanks. Bottom line is they didn't. They don't deserve to go to the playoffs right now. Who could they "out pitch" in a playoff series right now? It's not looking good folks. They may not be able to weather the storm until Wake & Tek return. Even then, it may not be enough. The real key is Beckett. If he manages to go on a run, they may be OK. The only problem is that he hasn't done it consistently all season, so why should it start now? Look for Wells to get the win today and stop the skid, at least temporarily. This team is still going to win 90+ games, but will it be enough? Unless they get hot soon, no. Lets hope this series is a wake up call.

For you Yankee fans out there, don't go printing those World Series tickets just yet. Everything went right for the Bombers in this series and nothing went right for the Sox "arms". How much confidence do you have in your staff with these #'s? The pen is what made the difference this weekend...

4 Games - 25 runs: Starters - 18 runs, Pen - 7 runs

Starters: Avg 5IP, 4.5 runs

Wang 6IP, 3ER
Ponson 3IP, 7ER
Unit 7IP, 5ER
Mussina 4IP, 3ER

Good luck in any playoff series with that pitching...

At least the Sox pitching can't get any worse, the only way to go is up. How far up is the question...

The next 24 games will decide the season...

After a nail biting 3 game sweep of the O's, the Sox find themselves only 1 game back of the Yanks and 2 games out of the wildcard behind the surging Chisox. What a difference a few days make.

The good news is we should know if the Sox are a playoff team in the next 3 weeks or so. Why? take a look at their upcoming schedule. It's a doozey...

Detroit - 3 games
Yanks - 5 games

West Coast Trip:
Angels - 3
Seattle - 3
Oakland - 3

Back Home:
Toronto - 3
ChiSox - 3

That translates into a 24 game stretch from hell, with only 1 day off. Wow, the average of those teams is at a 66-51 record. At least most games are at home. The upcoming double header on Fri and a day game on Sat will be brutal.

While the Sox seemed to have found themselves offensively, pitching is still a concern. Schill, Beckett, and Wells need to be outstanding. Lester is probably where he'll be at the rest of the way, giving up 3-5 runs per game over 5 innings. The Jason Johnson experiment may be over (hopefully), and we'd like to see Phil Seibel get a shot until Wake returns (which is at the end of this stretch). Put Johnson in the pen.

The bullpen continues to struggle and need the starters to go longer. The return of Varitek wouldn't hurt either. Now the rehabbing Foulke has been put back on the shelf and we may never see him again. These guys need some rest, and only the starters can provide it.

So, what's going to happen? They should be fine if they win 14 games. It's do-able but tough. If Schill, Beckett, and Wells all pitch well (all 3 excel in big games), they'll only need to steal a couple games from Lester & the #5 spot.

The Yanks have a similar road, with the only differences against Minnesota & Baltimore. Chisox & Minnesota face each other 6 times during this stretch.

Bottom line is that no one has an easy road. But the ones standing after this stretch will be there at the end. It won't be easy catching the leaders in early September...

Royal Sweep! Did you twist your ankle jumping off the bandwagon yet?

Can things get much worse? Well, yes, but it really doesn't feel that way. The Sox are now 12-15 since the break. Ouch.

Whats going on?

It's certainly not the competition. Cleveland 49-64, Tampa Bay 47-68, and KC 41-73 represent the league's worst. The Sox went a combined 3-7 against them.

Is it the absence of Tek? They are a combined 2-7 since he went down. Does 1 player have such as significant impact on a pitching staff? Probably not to that extreme, but some.

Is it the offense? They've averaged just under 5 runs a game with a .277 BA. It's not Ortiz and Manny, they've been tearing it up since the break. Lowell has struggled (.200 BA), and also out of the catching spot.

Is it the rotation? There's the "Tek factor" and the rocky return of Wells. Johnson pitched well his last outing, but Lester continues to struggle. Opposing teams have averaged 5 1/2 runs a game with a .296 BA.

Is it the pen? Are the youngsters hitting the wall? Papelbon, Delcarmen, and Hansen are not what they were a few weeks ago. Timlin has not returned to his old form since the injury. Tavarez & Seanez have been non-factors. Do the recent pen meltdowns make all the other problems look worse? Take away 3 or 4 recent losses and they're still in first...

Is it the lack of talent from the trade deadline? Let's say the Sox pulled off the Abreu and Lidle deal. How much does it really help them right now? Put Lidle in Johnson's spot and Abreu in Wily Mo's spot. It's a wash right now. Apparently there are some in the clubhouse that were disappointed by the lack of a move (see - veterans that don't have many opportunities left). Don't you find it hard to believe that the front office is so enamoured with its young talent they wouldn't make a move? Please. Theo traded Nomar - the face of the franchise at the time. Would he hesitate to trade a couple young arms for an Oswalt? No. Bottom line is that we don't know what deals were proposed. These deals always look good on July 31st, but how often do they make a difference? Other than 2004, good luck finding one.

So what is really happening here? It's a combination of all those things. Remember that this team has persevered without a 4 & 5 starter basically all season. Your #3 starter was struggling and still sits on the DL. Lester has been OK but only gives you 5 innings. Johnson, Snyder, Pauley, Gabbard, etc didn't exactly give you quality starts. Now the pen is starting to show signs of wear because the starters can't go 6 or 7 innings. Throw in the Tek injury and the dominoes are starting to fall. All the breaks and late game comebacks have disappeared. Anything that could go wrong, is going wrong.

Where do we go from here? They'll need a run similar to 2004 to get back in the playoffs. The skid is not over folks. Wells needs to regain his old form, Wake needs to come back strong, and someone other than Ortiz & Manny needs to step up offensively (Wily Mo?). The question is if this team can weather the storm. It certainly doesn't look good right now. Hang in folks, there's still a long way to go. Let's just hope things turn around before its too late...

The Cardiac Kids...

Another 9th inning comeback. This time it wasn't Papi. Of the 7 walk off hits this season, he has 5 and now Loretta has 2. Your 2006 Sox are now 2nd (believe it or not) with 31 come from behind wins. Hard to imagine anyone else has more, but certainly not more dramatic than what we've seen lately. How can you leave the park early or turn the TV off before the game ends?

The latest rumbling is that the Sox are going after the Orioles catcher Javy Lopez. Apparently he's been put on waivers (was actually asking to be released) and supposedly made it thru waivers all the way to the Sox. They should be able to claim him ($9M salary probably is what got him thru) and not have to give up much to get him. How does this affect Varitek? Probably not as much as you may think. Lopez is a free agent at year end, so he'll be gone. Tek won't come back until at least the first week of Sept, and he wouldn't be as compelled to rush his recovery. Mirabelli is not an everyday player, and will need to split duty anyway (Huckaby hitting just above .200 in AAA is not overly appealing). Once Tek does return, he probably doesn't go back to 4 days on and 1 off either. With the expanded roster in Sept, it makes sense to carry 3 catchers especially when one of them is a thumping right handed bat off the bench. He's been very unhappy in Baltimore and a change of scenery should benefit him. The only questions surround his diminished role once Tek returns and the Sox willing to pony up the rest of his $9M. it only makes sense to do this deal right away.

Wet Balls?
Yup, thats what some opposing players are saying about the baseballs at Colorado's Coors Field. The Rockies are being accused of soaking their balls or storing them in a humidor prior to games. This reduces the flight of the ball especially at that high altitude. Are they really altering the ball, or is it better pitching in 2006? You decide - take a look at stats both home & away the past few years:

2006:
Home: 4.03 Era / 87HR (projected)
Away: 4.32 Era / 53HR (projected)

2005:
Home: 5.13 Era / 84HR
Away: 5.07 Era / 91HR

2004:
Home: 6.27 Era / 110 HR
Away: 4.72 Era / 88HR

2003:
Home: 5.07 Era / 117HR
Away: 5.35 Era / 83HR

Looks like their pitching is just plain better by looking at their HR's allowed on the road this season. If the numbers hold, they will give up more home runs at home than last season. Even if they are "un-juicing" the ball, aren't their hitters at the same disadvantage?

Trade Deadline:
Are you that upset about the Sox not making a move at the deadline? Without knowing specifics of deals, we can't understand why there are so many questioning the front office. The Sox are noted as deadline losers. Are the Sox that enamored with their farm to not make a deal? No. Theo is a smart guy and has shown in the past he's not afraid to move the face of the franchise (see Nomar). But for the most part, deadline deals rarely make a difference. Other than 2004, when did a July trade make a difference in the same year? The percentages are against it and asking prices are sky high with all the teams still "in" the playoff chase. Would you rather a front office that made a knee jerk reaction? How much would Cory Lidle excite you if the Sox landed him? Kip Wells? Jeff Suppan? Please. The deadline is about difference makers. Does Bobby Abreu really make a "difference" or put them over the top? Would he for the Sox? No on both counts.

Another thing we've been hearing all season is that the Sox should have pulled futher away from the Yanks. The Yanks have had significant injuries and had to rely on their young players. Unless we missed something, the Sox have one of their best records at this point of the season since the 70's. They've also had significant injuries including starting pitching. They are relying on their young talent (Lester, Papelbon, Hansen, Delcarmen, Wily Mo) in major roles to carry them. These teams have been very similar all season with the Sox holding a slight edge. The national media is caught up patting the Yanks on the back for staying with the Sox. Well folks, how about recognizing that the Sox stayed on top with a patchwork rotation and injuries of their own? Guess that "perception" is everything...

The deal that wasn't...

The days and weeks leading up to the deadline pointed to the Sox not doing much of anything. In the last couple of days, there have been names like Clemens, Schmidt, Soriano, and Andruw Jones being thrown out as real possibilities. What a big tease.

If not for the recent injury to Trot (won’t know how severe until at least 4:01 PM today), things would probably be status quo. Depending on the severity of the injury, it may have altered the thinking in the front office. But apparently it wasn’t enough to persuade them into making a deal. Say hello Wily Mo & Kapler. Let’s hope this isn’t the beginning of the end for Trot.

While some of the deals proposed made some sense, but they didn’t really address the major need of starting pitching:

1) Lowell & prospects for Linebrink & Lugo
2) Lowell & prospects for Shealy & “more than reputable starter” (who?)

From fairy land…
1) Andruw Jones for; Lester, Coco, and Hansen (yeah, OK. Why not Papelbon too?)
2) Clemens – if he didn’t want to ruffle feathers in Houston before, why now?
3) Schmidt – see ridiculous Braves offer above.
4) Kip Wells – did the Sox really “lose out” on this one?
5) What team would trade a starter (Buehrle) for a CF (Coco) hitting .260?
6) Both Lowell & Coco were assured they were not on the block?

The good thing is that the Sox didn’t have a Duquette knee jerk reaction to the Yanks acquisition of Abreu & Lidle. They kept their young talent intact and didn’t leverage the future. While that trade helps the Yanks, it doesn’t put them over the top. It shores up the rotation with an upgrade over Ponson, and adds a little more pop (not power) to the lineup. They also poured gasoline on Sheff. Have fun with that in the clubhouse.

Pitching is what makes the difference down the stretch and in the playoffs. While the Yanks did improve, they basically added a #5 guy. Their staff ace in Mussina has been the anchor, but has been prone to breaking down the last few years especially late in the season. Wang has been good, but he’s not dominant (36BB, 45K’s) and is unproven in the playoffs. The Big Unit just came off a shelling by the D-Rays (now 11-9, 5+ Era), and Wright rarely gets past the 5th inning.

The Sox have Schill leading the way despite his last outing. He gets better the bigger the game is. Beckett has been inconsistent, but has only given up more than 3 runs twice in his last 10 games, and lowered his ERA by ½ a run during that span. He’s young and still getting better, maybe he’s figuring out the AL. Lester has pitched very well and should continue to get better. Wells returns tonight and will probably get shelled. Let’s hope he rights the ship quickly. He could be a huge asset down the stretch. Wakefield is still on the shelf and his return is still weeks away. The experiment in the #5 spot has only produced 1 win since the break. Ouch.
Why did the Sox stand pat? Here are some issues that may have affected their reasoning:

1) David Wells. He probably would have packed it in if he didn’t think he’d pitch down the stretch. Must have looked good in side sessions.
2) Wakefield. Should be back in a couple of weeks, solid innings eater.
3) Phil Seibel. Return from 2005 Tommy John surgery, started 9 games in AA with a 1.20 era, now in AAA with 1.86 era. Stay tuned.
4) They already have similar to what’s available.
5) The infield. Why would you change the best fielding % in the majors?
6) The farm (the pricetag). Front office refused to part with talent for a rental player. Aside from 2004, can you name a good deadline deal for the Sox? Suppan? Sauerbeck?

The Sox should be there at the end. They’ve been able to withstand multiple injuries (Wells, Clement, Coco, Pena, etc) and still have one of the best records at this point of the season since the 70’s. Will Schill, Beckett, and Wake be enough in a short playoff series? The Angels, Twins, and Tigers (in that order) will be very tough in a short series.
It doesn’t seem too far out of reach for the Sox. As long as health isn’t a major issue, they should be able to grind their way into the playoffs. They have a favorable schedule and a recent history of playing well down the stretch. Regardless, it’s going to come down to the last week if not the last couple games. Strap in folks. It’ll be the Sox, Yanks, Twins, and Chisox battling for 2 spots. Should be one of the most exciting finishes in recent memory…

Sox start left coast trip on a roll...

Sox 5th starter du jour Snyder pitched fairly well in his 3rd start for the Sox. After cruising thru the first 4 innings he was affected by an apparent cramp, yielded 2 runs, and was not able to return to the 6th. Lets just hope its only a cramp. This rotation cannot afford another setback.

Sox rook Kason Gabbard gets his first major league start today. He had a great start at AA Portland, but struggled in AAA Pawtucket before making adjustments. His last 2 starts have been solid. Apparently he didn't make the trip with the team because Theo had a deal in the works for another starter. Who? Take a look at todays starters around the league. The potential deal may also have been nixed due to Wells apparent recovery. He had another good side session and could return as early as Aug 3rd or 8th.

Few notes...

Great job by the front office inking Beckett for another 3 years, at an average of under $9M per year. Even at 26, Beckett is still better than any of the latest free agent signings, and at less $. Pavano, Clement, AJ Burnett, etc have all been disappointing. Can you imagine how much Beckett would cost on the open market? Probably $12m+ at a minimum.

Jon Lester returns to his hometown and starts tomorrow. With 50 of his friends and family present, it will be interesting to see how he responds. He seems to have embraced the deluge of local media with open arms. Good sign for a rook...

The Yanks have dropped their last 3 with A-Ro (no "D", get it) committing 5 errors in his last 5 games. He's getting booed at home all the time. Rumors have him headed out of NY where he supposedly can't handle the pressure any more (16 errors already). Don't see anyone taking on that salary however. Also, it looks like the Octavio Dotel experiment has ended in NY.

Trade Deadline:

The Mike Lowell for Jake Peavy trade shouldn't have been published. What a goof.

Why would the Sox have any interest in SS Julio Lugo, when Gonzo is better???

Don't look for the Sox to take on $30M remaining for a Bobby Abreu type player either...

The rumors with any substance:

Kyle Lohse: 2-5, 7.14 Era (Sox said no thanks)
Odalis Perez: 4-4, 6.94 (again, no thanks)
Livan Hernandez: 6-8, 5.85 (already have similar, NL pitcher, asking price too high)

Look for a swap of relievers to happen: Julian Tavarez / Rudy Seanez, for a Ray King (Colorado) or similar exchange

With Wells return looking good and only a handful of teams out of it, this team on the field should be the same in Oct...

Sox limp out of the gate in 2nd half...

Boy are those Sox hitters making these mediocre guys look good. The Sox pitchers (other than Schill) made that Oakland lineup look like bashers (2nd to last in AL in runs). Yes, Oakland is typically a good 2nd half team, but that wasn't Atlanta's Hudson on the mound last night either.

While its way too early to be alarmed, the Yanks are winning right now (settle down Yankee fans - its only a 4 game streak). And those ChiSox don't look like they did last season going a combined 1-5 vs the Sox and Yanks (going 19 innings to get the 1 win). That team era of 4.5+ is not even close to last season. Look for Detroit (a full run lower era) to take the central going away ("hip" pick is Chicago right now). Don't count out a good pitching Minnesota team taking a run at the Chisox & wildcard either.

Sox now have more pitching issues. It sounds like Wake will be put on the DL soon. How far is the tandem of Jason Johnson & Snyder going to take you as your 4 & 5 starters? Here comes David Pauley or Marc Deschenes folks. The bats better get hot when these guys are on the mound.

What it comes down to is Schill & Beckett being lights out. Someone other than Papi & Manny need to step up every night.

Clement is probably done (and maybe not just for this season - offseason trade to NL is likely).
Whatever happened to Lenny DiNardo?
Are we pinning our hopes on Wells getting healthy? Yikes.
Will this push Theo to do something at the deadline?
Are Pedroia, Murphy, Ellsbury, Moss, or Edgar Martinez now expendable?

Yanks aren't in a much better situation. Sidney "don't hit the judge" Ponson is now taking the mound for the bombers. Good luck with that one. Other than Mussina & recently Wang, there's no consistency. Your young players are getting hurt, and nagging injuries are mounting (Damon, A-Rod). The dog days are coming and they are OLD.

Looks like the trade deadline just got more interesting. The real question is there a deal out there for either team to put them over the top? Not likely for either. Both need more pitching (and do you even consider an NL pitcher at this point?).

Would like to see Theo go after Cleveland's Cliff Lee. His name hasn't been put out there yet. Cleveland is out of it, and he's only signed thru this year. Numbers aren't eye popping by any stretch (9-6, 4.68 ERA) but would be a solid #5 guy. He's a better option than what we have now, and you probably wouldn't have to give up the farm to get him.

Other possibilities:
Kansas City - Mark Redman 6-5, 5.02 (free agent at end of season)
Colorado - Josh Fogg 7-5, 4.23 (last year of 1 year deal)
Atlanta - John Smoltz - too much to give up
Philly - Jon Lieber 3-7, 5.56
Florida - no one is left
Nats - Tony Armas 6-4, 4.44 (just off DL)
Cubs - Glendon Rusch 3-7, 7.48 (just off DL)
Pittsburgh - Kip Wells 0-4, 9.13 (just off 60 day DL)

First Half a success...

How can it not be while sitting with a 3 game lead over the Yanks?

Their 53 - 33 is best record at the break in recent memory (52 - 33 back in 02).

Overall it's been a great first half.

The Downside:

- Trade of Arroyo (how does this one look with the injuries to the staff & Wily Mo? Ouch.)
- Injuries: Wells, Foulke, Clement, DiNardo, Wily Mo, Coco
- Nagging injuries: Varitek, Wake, Timlin, possibly Schill
- Tavarez & Seanez performances out of the pen
- Inconsistent Beckett - still hasn't found the AL groove yet, too many homers

The Upside:

- Addition & success of young arms (Lester, Delcarmen, Hansen, Lopez)
- Papelbon success - possible consideration for rookie honors, Cy, & MVP
- Youkilis solid at 1st, best OBP for leadoff
- Defense - best in MLB - gold glovers at 3rd, short, and make case for 2B
- Offense - 2nd in MLB - Lowell, Youkie, Loretta making the difference, Gonzo & Coco coming on
- Chemistry? Jury still out on this one. Havent' heard much, but nothing bad either. Manny might actually be happy.
- Intangibles: Sox have very few road trips in 2nd half, only one is more than 2 cities long

The deadline:

Needs? Other than a 5th starter or an arm in the pen, Theo seems to have an easy job. This would figure to be one of the less active deadlines in recent memory. The price of acquiring pitching is also sky high apparently.

Options?

Clement is probably done for the year - based on his latest tweak during his rehab. The MRI isn't showing damage, so it must be psychological...

Wells might not pitch again. It's quite strange that we've heard nothing about his rehab or medical status. Based on his comments from last season, you'd think he would retire if he couldn't come back.

Jason Johnson? Can't expect much more than 5 runs per game. He was released for a reason.

Snyder? Pauley? These guys seem like the next reasonable option if Johnson doesn't improve.
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Rumors:

Latest is that the Sox were inquiring about Bobby Abreu from the Phils. Apparently they were asking for Jon Lester in return. Right. They would also be taking on $20M for this & next year. How long did it take to say no? However, this may signal the end of Trot. If they don't think he'll re-sign at their value, they probably won't hesitate to get value for him.
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That's it. If Theo thinks Clement and/or Wells can contribute, he might not do anything. Foulke may return to add to the pen. As long as the club stays healthy, he might be seen on the beach.
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ENJOY THE BREAK!