Cityofchampions33

4-0 Sox in the third, Santana yet to have a 1-2-3 inning

Game Info TV - NESN Radio - WEEI 850 am Venue - Fenway Park First Pitch - 7:05 http://www.pubclub.com/Boston/Images/FenwayLead.JPG Starting Pitchers http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/8706/6403pn6.jpg Versus http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/9764/6441yf5.jpg 15-10, 5.02 ERA-----18-5, 2.77 ERA Ortiz Cathes a Foxx Courtesy o' the Herald David Ortiz did it again for the Red Sox last night. And, wouldn’t you know it, the Yankees did it again to the Red Sox as well. On the same night the Yankees won their ninth consecutive AL East title, Ortiz, the Red Sox’ beloved slugger, hit his franchise record-tying 50th home run off Twins starter Boof Bonser in the sixth inning. The blast gave the Sox a 2-1 lead but after reliever Craig Hansen gave up four runs in the eighth, the Sox went on to lose big, 8-2. The Yankees, who were beaten by the Blue Jays, 3-2, couldn’t clinch on their own but were able to celebrate north of the border after the Sox lost. With 10 games left, Ortiz appears certain to surpass Foxx’ 68-year-old mark. “It means they’re going to remember me for a while,” said Ortiz of the moment’s significance. “It’s a great feeling to be right next to a great player, a superstar, just like Mr. Jimmie Foxx was. To be right there with him is a wonderful feeling.” Until Ortiz’ next home run, the afterglow from last night’s missile will suffice as one of the brightest spots from this otherwise dismal last month for the Sox. The game meant much more to Minnesota than the Red Sox. A playoff spot is very much in the cards for the Twins, who are a half-game behind the Tigers in the AL Central and 5 1/2 games ahead of the White Sox in the wild card chase. With the Twins starting ace Johan Santana tonight, the Red Sox could discover with a loss that their postseason hopes, feeble to begin with, would be completely dead. Ortiz could wind up shattering Foxx’ record but his thoughts were on the team’s shattered season. “Let’s see how we finish the season,” Ortiz said. “We’re having a tough time at this point of the season. It’s crazy how things are going but I just told everybody we’ve got to keep on going.” Curt Schilling, back from a three-week layoff, was not efficient with his pitches - he had thrown 72 after three innings - but he allowed just a single run in five innings. Ortiz’ home run stood until the eighth, when Hansen faced four batters and did not retire one. He allowed two doubles, a walk and a three-run homer before being sent to the showers. Three more Twins runs came across in the ninth inning. Schilling marveled at what Ortiz had accomplished. “You’re talking about a franchise that’s been around a long time and had some of the greatest hitters who ever lived played here,” he said. “To achieve something that potentially he’s on the cusp of doing, something no one’s ever done, in this uniform, that’s special. “You love to see great people, good people, get rewarded for their effort and hard work.” And this group of hard-working Red Sox wound up being overmatched in the end by a more talented Yankees team. “This isn’t the way it was supposed to end,” said Schilling of the Yanks’ division clinch. “They played a lot better than us over the course of the season. No matter where you feel you’re at in April, May, June, July and August, September’s when you make your mark. We put ourselves in position to be taken advantage of and they had talent to take advantage of us. “We didn’t play well when we had to play well. That five-game set we had with them here was our chance to make hay. We did the exact opposite. I don’t think we opened the door for them as much as they kicked it in.”

I agree, Coco will be better, we dont need tow ate more of our future on a one eyar rental when we alreayd ahve one.

yea, he just pisses me off

In my first game thread too, whooda thunk it

Game Info: TV - NESN Radio - WEEI 850 am Venue - Fenway Park First Pitch - 7:05 Starters: Curt Schilling - Boof Bonser http://espn-att.starwave.com/media/mlb/2004/1005/photo/a_schilling_ft.jpg http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/images/2006/03/12/GGaMkMan.jpg Twins Wild About Sox Courtesy o' the Herald At the end of next month, the Minnesota Twins may look back to the Red Sox’ lone visit to the Metrodome as the occasion when their championship season turned around. When the Sox arrived in Minneapolis on June 13, the Twins were a disappointing 28-34 and in fourth place in the American League Central Division, trailing the Detroit Tigers by 12 games. They went on to sweep the Sox for the first time since 1994, outscoring the visitors 18-5 and igniting a spark that has yet to be doused. Minnesota went on to win 19-of-20 games and left Fenway Park last night after a 7-3 victory a major league-best 61-27 since June 13 to climb within a half-game of the trembling Tigers, while holding a solid 4-game lead over Chicago White Sox in the wild card race. “When we were in Minnesota, their record wasn’t very good,” manager Terry Francona said. “They kind of had their way with us out there. I remember thinking, ‘This doesn’t add up.’ Ever since that series, they’ve been probably the best team in baseball.” Three months after getting their jump-start vs. the Red Sox, the Twins jumped all over them once again, knocking Tim Wakefield out of the game last night after 3 innings for their ninth win in the last 11 games. The loss dropped the Red Sox 8 1/2 games behind Minnesota in the wild card race with only 11 games remaining. “We’re against the ropes right now,” said David Ortiz, who went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in his quest to match Jimmie Foxx’ franchise record of 50 home runs. Wakefield, who had been 11-3 lifetime vs. Minnesota, was hammered for six runs on eight hits, two walks and a wild pitch and lasted 3 1/3 or fewer innings for only the fourth time in 152 Fenway starts. The Sox, who had won six of their previous eight games to maintain slim hopes of qualify for the playoffs, suffered yet another injury when left fielder Kevin Youkilis departed after three innings with a strained neck. Cynics might say that he incurred it twisting his head so many times following the repeated rockets off the Twins’ bats. They hit four balls off or over the Green Monster, including a three-run home run by Jason Bartlett in the second inning and a two-run shot by Torii Hunter in the third. Minnesota jumped ahead in the second when Justin Morneau (5-for-5) lined a leadoff double off the base of the left field wall and Rondell White knocked him in two batters later with a hard single off the Monster. Wakefield walked Phil Nevin before Bartlett pounded a 1-and-2 fastball over the famed wall for the shortstop’s second homer of the year and first since July 25. The Twins extended the lead to 6-0 in the third inning, when Hunter followed Morneau’s one-out single by slamming a knuckleball into the Monster seats for his 27th homer of the season. The clout occurred in Hunter’s first game back at Fenway since fracturing his left ankle on July 29, 2005 chasing down a ball in the center field triangle. Morneau had three singles and two doubles to set a new career high in hits and improve to 11-for-17 (.647) vs. the Sox this season. “I wasn’t making the pitches when I needed to make them,” said Wakefield (7-10). The beating let up when Lenny DiNardo relieved Wakefield and tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings. From riversidesluggers

wow, wats their reaosning? the winning percentages?

big time roider, hes juicin

Anyone know why Ohio State calls itself THE Ohio State? Its been buggin me

I agree teh article is very well written, and I just saw that quote udner one of his pictures, it was used as a caption. Sometimes hes just so me, me, me it makes em wodner how texas put up with him.

I wouldnt trust Lidge at all, he was horrible in the NL, i doubt hed improve comign into a league ehs not familiar with. As for who'd I get, Id want TIM WAKEFIELD as our closer, so long as Tek elarns to catch the knuck. Id love to get Matsuzaka, as he throws everything hard, is hard to pick up on, and has crazy movement. Shcmidt would be good, he seems liek anotehr dirt dog type of guy, and I think has some good years left. Schilling Beckett Schmidt Papelbon Matsuzaka That is an insane rotation with Matsuzaka as our 5th.

I agree with this stament evry much: But then Rodriguez has long been the major league equivalent of the prettiest girl in high school who also gets straight A's, which is to say he is viewed with equal parts admiration and resentment. I get wicked annoyed at this: -"I can't help that I'm a bright person" -"If I can look back," says A-Rod, "and see I made 25 errors, hit .285 and drove in 125, I mean, has God really been that bad to me?" STFU you egotistcial prick, your makin 20 million dollars a year, don't act like God has been bas to you. -Before Giambi went to Torre, he had scolded Rodriguez after a 13-5 win in Boston on Aug. 19. Irked that Rodriguez left four runners on base in the first three innings against a shaky Josh Beckett, Giambi thought A-Rod needed to be challenged. "We're all rooting for you and we're behind you 100 percent," Giambi recalls telling Rodriguez, "but you've got to get the big hit." "What do you mean?" was Rodriguez's response, according to Giambi. "I've had five hits in Boston." "You f------ call those hits?" Giambi said. "You had two f------ dinkers to rightfield and a ball that bounced over the third baseman! Look at how many pitches you missed! "When you hit three, four or five [in the order], you have to get the big hits, especially if they're going to walk Bobby [Abreu] and me. I'll help you out until you get going. I'll look to drive in runs when they pitch around me, go after that 3-and-1 pitch that might be a ball. But if they're going to walk Bobby and me, you're going to have to be the guy." (Asked about Giambi's pep talk, Rodriguez said he could not remember what was discussed, though he added, "I'm sure we had a conversation.")

My abd, I thought he ahd a year left on his contract, forgot. And eyah, Speier is a gerat pickup if we can, he's last eyars Farnesworth.

I agree, Matsuzaka coudl be great or bad, though fiw e could work out an incentive laden deal for the money he wants, Im all for it, As for Hansen, i think we already ahev the veteran in Foulke, and if both can be solid next eyar, then our bullpen will be much better. Schmidt woudl be awesome, and wierd because I know him personally, so who knwos maybe I coudl get everyoen some free s*** fi we sign him.

Haha, good call

It HAS to go to soemone on teh Twins, I eman its amazingw hat theyre doing, theyve stayed hot for like 2 months straight and now just a game back fo teh MLBS best Tigers. Id give it to Santana, as hes consistently been their stopper and true ace. I mean to climb the toughest division in baseball is an accomplishment i feel is being overlooked.

DiPietro signed a friggin 15 year deal, jesus

I ahve been losing a lot of respect for the MVP award, just because it's all over the place in who wins it. They have the word "valuable" in the award name, but they don't neccisarily give it to the most valuable player around. If that were the case, I'd say eitehr Mauer or Morneau or Santana should get it, as theyve been playing in the toughest division in baseball and giving the Tiggs a run for their money. Also, thatd mean Jeter wouldn't get it as he has an all-star filled lineup all around him. But sometimes teh award gives it to the player with the best stats, a la ARod with Texas. And that should mean Papi will win this year as he leads or is at the top of many categories. So Im very confused, and because of this not sure who shoudl win

Do they show the finals on tv somewhere?

(Cough) Chad Jackson (Cough)

In my opinion, I disagree, and don't think Papi's evaluation of what the MVP award is, however it might be twisted with how its been ahndled recently, like with ARod getting it when he was in Texas even though they didnt make any type of season. This season i honestly think Jeter should be MVP. He's been hitting amazing all eyar with little or very unnoticeable slumps and has caried his team at the plate and in the field. However I do agree that he has a much better lineup around him, which should have some sort of affect on how many votes he gets.