Hello BOYZ!
Some more important stats which are really FACTS, you know the word that delusional Red Sox fans have trouble with.
Yankee pitchers are third in the AL in WHIP, which means that the Yankee pitching is absolutely "LIGHTS OUT",...
Oh great bullshit lord of the FACTS, if the Yankees are "LIGHTS OUT" with a team ERA of 3.45 then the Red Sox are your masters with an ERA 3.25.
Nice try though hiding behind WHIP. You've had two stellar starters so far with Tanaka and Pass Me the Pine Tar Pineda, but your other pitchers are troublingly inadequate if not for the hot hitting. Face a good pitching staff and you've got big issues.
...the Yankees are now first in the AL and second in the MLB in hitting, a fact I'm sure that even rumpleforskin is impressed with.
Isn't it great now that it's already October...in your mind. I'm happy to see Yankees fans stroking themselves at every little detail....IN APRIL. Your biggest problem seems to be reassigning all the big awards you self-entitled team addicts gave away in February and March to different players. Cy Young from Sabathia to Tanaka for instance.
Thanks, the popcorn entertainment has been wonderful.
ONLY TIME EVER:
I was there on July 17, 1990 in the only game in history with
two triple plays in one game when a co-worker randomly suggested going to the game that day. I still have the ticket. Both were natural triple plays and the second one was a beauty as a hit and run seemed to be on as runners charged the bases just as the third and second basemans got off their throws. But the Red Sox won the game anyway 1-0.
MEANHWILE:
Jon Lester threw a beautiful game going perfect for 6 innings.
http://bostonherald.com/sports/red_...ests_chris_sale_in_classic_battle_of_southpaw
Sale and Lester took dueling no-hitters into the sixth inning, setting down hitter after hitter, barely breaking a sweat, flirting with history, each one-upping the other. And although their no-hit bids — and shutouts, for that matter — evaporated in the sixth inning, both pitchers put on a clinic for how to overpower hitters by being aggressive and throwing strikes.
Lester was even rewarded with a win, for a change, when David Ross shot an RBI double down the right-field line to score Mike Napoli with the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning of the Red Sox’ 3-1 victory, their second consecutive win to close out a 3-4 road trip.
Tied 1-1 and with only four hits in their previous 66 at-bats dating to the first inning Wednesday night, the Red Sox strung together four hits and a walk against White Sox relievers Ronald Belisario and Scott Downs, beginning with an infield single by Napoli. Mike Carp followed with a pinch-hit single, and after Ross’ double gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead and Daniel Nava walked intentionally, pinch-hitter Jonathan Herrera executed a safety squeeze with a bunt single down the first-base line to score pinch-runner Grady Sizemore.
Closer Koji Uehara, making his first appearance since April 9 because of concerns about his right shoulder, gave up a two-out single to Alexei Ramirez but got pinch-hitter Jose Abreu to ground out to record a 15-pitch save and secure the victory for Lester, who yielded seven hits and racked up nine strikeouts over eight dominating innings.
Boston and its faithful fans share a bond unlike any in sports
http://t.foxsports.msn.com/mlb/boston-and-its-faithful-fans-share-a-bond-unlike-any-in-sports
From Malibu, Calif., but written with a soundtrack: “Boys on the Docks” by the Dropkick Murphys
An act of terror like last year’s Boston Marathon bombings may be intended to tear a community apart. The perpetrators may have visions of chaos and finger pointing, the icing on the cake, a region divided. Boston was the wrong city for these alleged criminals to mess with.
I learned after spending 2003-2007 experiencing the ins and outs of the Boston Red Sox organization and its hometown, how uniquely spectacular the people, the fans and the baseball are. More than anything else, I saw a reflection of my underdog mentality in the community and its inhabitants.
In 2003, I was released by the Colorado Rockies. Still in the midst of the mind-bogglingly devastating ego blow, my phone rang. It was my agent, Paul Cohen.
Two teams had called interested in signing me, no more.
“Who?,” I asked. “The Red Sox and the Cardinals. You need to make a decision quickly,” Paul told me.
We discussed the needs of each roster, and I consulted with my Rockies teammate, Mark Sweeny.
“Sweens," I said, "What do you think?"
Sweeny had played in St Louis and grown up in Maine and subsequently had intimate knowledge of each town/area’s culture and fan base.
“Kap,” Mark said. “You can’t go wrong with either.”
If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t be the slightest bit torn. Don’t get me wrong; St Louis is as solid as they come when it comes to baseball.
There is an intangible possessed by the city of Boston and epitomized by its players. It’s an intuitive, somewhat difficult to articulate energy.
I felt like an adopted son not just wearing a dirty or bloody uniform, but when speaking my mind on WEEI or the Sports Hub, or walking into Zaftig’s Deli just off of Beacon Street. I rode the "T" to connect with people and share stories. I was always rewarded with kindness and warmth.
There is nowhere on Earth like Boston for a player.
If you’re the 22nd man on the roster or David Ortiz, the fans appreciate you, particularly if you display grit.
If you sacrifice your body for the team, it never goes unnoticed. The Fenway Faithful bleed alongside the players.
Hitless in your last 10 at-bats? So is Steve Altman in the bleachers in right field -- he’s sick right beside you.
Struck out with the bases juiced to end the game? Amanda McCarthy, season ticket-holder from Maine, didn’t stop crying after you disgustedly faced Dan Shaughnessy, Bob Ryan and the countless other media members you were on a first name basis with, and took responsibility in the clubhouse after the game.
Think it’s a coincidence that Dustin Pedroia signed a below-market deal, think again. Passion begets passion. Shake yourself.
There is no line between players who wear and who have worn that uniform and the city. We stand united as members of an exclusive crew. I wear it like a proud badge of honor wherever I go now. I played, but more importantly, I lived in Boston.
The city mirrors the ballpark. Want to experience the Boston CliffNotes? Go to Fenway and take in a baseball game. It’s blue collar, no frills, all substance, pure unfiltered, unrefined devotion and loyalty.
The resilience of the baseball team is congruent with the toughness and determination of the city. No wonder players like Trot Nixon and Billy Mueller from my teams, and Jonny Gomes and Shane Victorino are so appreciated. My favorite quote when speaking to a media outlet: “I was a working-class player, and Boston is a working-class town. It felt like a match made in heaven.”
It came as no surprise for me, even from afar, that the tragic bombings from this time last year simply strengthened the resolve of the community- the family of Boston.
And like the affiliates of a powerful street gang, the surrounding Massachusetts cities and all over New England from Rhode Island to Burlington, one by one protected the East Coast’s greatest city’s back. The rest of the U.S. followed, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt the undeniable leadership qualities of my home away from home.
And for the children and families whose lives were forever altered by an unforgivable act of terror, they were able to be -- if nothing else -- fully supported by the capable, powerful arms of a caring community who publicly demonstrated on a national platform its genuine love and authentic concern.
From South Boston to Brookline, from Worcester to Quincy, you’ll find fighters. You might land a right cross, but this city won’t stay licked. It’s gonna rise, and no matter how many rounds it takes, it’s gonna whoop your ass, metaphorically, of course.
Boston, Mass. is proof of that concept.
Personally, I got so much out of last year's team that I feel almost satiated where baseball is concerned this year. Oh I still want to win, but 2013 was so special that it's been just so fulfilling. In 2004 and 2007 we were expected to be top challengers as the team had been so close and it seemed just one more tweak would do it. It was expected. When it finally happened in 2004, with the most magnificent storybook twist of coming back from the dead to turn on and destroy the Yankees then sweep the Cardinals, there was nothing that could be more perfect. Still, the end was what we had thought was imminent.
In 2013 everything seemed almost impossible after a bitter disastrous 2012. Few thought there was much of any chance for 2013. Then something about the team seemed to gel with new players becoming key sparkplugs and veteran players rising to our best hopes. I sat back and enjoyed every little moment never thinking we'd get anywhere near the World Series. That's what may have made the season greater than 2004...the sheer excitement of all the accomplishments being so unexpected. It was so much fun to do what you never thought could be done that doing so and gaining the ultimate prize to boot fills you up in a very special way....kinda like the 1980 U.S.A. hockey team did.
:nod:
Cheers BOYZ!
Merlot
