a700hitter

Pal, you won the Trout v. Segura points bet in a runaway. I owe you $10. Private Message me your email address and I'll send you the money through PayPal. I am just glad that I didn't make a sig bet.

And he missed the month of April. The guy just killed it this season.

This is a great thing.

It is more than a little surprising that Helton is still playing for the Rockies and Youkilis is not playing at all.

I enjoyed train travel in Europe.

LOL!! I hate the train, but it is the only alternative to driving 10 mph for the 40 mile ride to work.

From ESPN: With home-field advantage in the AL still up for grabs, the Boston Red Sox won't take it easy during the final week of the regular season. John Lackey looks to build on his best start of the year when the Red Sox visit the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night looking for an eighth win in 10 road games. Headed to the postseason for first time in four years as East champions, Boston (95-62) hopes to hold off Oakland and Detroit in the race for the league's best record. "We're going out to win games and be aggressive," said Felix Doubront, the winning pitcher in Sunday's 5-2 victory over Toronto. "We'll try to go hard every game." Lackey (10-12, 3.44 ERA) likely won't let up after striking out eight during his two-hit gem in Thursday's 3-1 victory over Baltimore. The right-hander did not give up a hit until Adam Jones' homer in the seventh inning, then yielded a single to J.J. Hardy in the eighth to bounce back after he allowed 11 runs and 15 hits in 12 innings of his previous two starts. "I felt pretty good," Lackey told the Red Sox's official website. "My arm felt good. It was fun." In preparation for the playoffs, Boston originally intended to pitch Lackey out of the bullpen during this two-game set at Coors Field. However, they decided to push Jake Peavy to Wednesday and start Lackey on Tuesday and in Sunday's regular-season finale at Baltimore. "We still want to play a good brand of baseball," manager John Farrell said. "We don't see the clinching of the division as a breather. It's a matter of continuing on and playing a very sound brand of baseball." Lackey fanned a season-high 12 and gave up two runs over seven innings in a 5-3 home victory over Colorado on June 26, but pitching at Coors Field for the first time since 2010 might not be as easy. He's 1-4 with a 5.45 ERA in five road starts since the All-Star break. The Rockies (71-86) have little to play for this week, but Michael Cuddyer still has the NL batting title in his sights. After missing the previous three games with a sore left wrist and forearm, Cuddyer raised his average to .334 with three hits in Sunday's 13-9 loss to Arizona. He went 4 for 9 with two homers as Colorado was swept in two games by the Red Sox in June. With a solo shot off Lackey in that series, four of Cuddyer's seven hits in 22 at-bats against him have been home runs. Boston's Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia each went 5 for 9 in that series. Pedroia is 2 for 2 with a walk against the Rockies' Tyler Chatwood (7-5, 3.36), who gave up four runs over six innings in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to St. Louis. The right-hander has a 4.34 ERA in four September starts since returning from a month on the DL due to right elbow inflammation. Chatwood gave up two runs and walked five in six innings in his only start against Boston, a 2011 outing with the Los Angeles Angels. This will be the second-to-last home game for Colorado's Todd Helton, who will retire after 17 seasons. He had three hits and four RBIs on Sunday and is 12 for 30 in eight home games - including a pair in the 2007 World Series - versus Boston. "It's good knowing that I can go out and be productive and help the team every once in awhile," Helton told the Rockies' official website

I am on a train. I should be home in about a half an hour. It's a 8:40 start. I'll get the GT up in time.

I like it. I think it is the right decision. Lester seems to be back where he was 2-3 years ago. He's attavking the zone and his ball has movement. He has been the horse with the one exception of a little skid that he hit mid season. Lackey may be our best pitcher at this point in time. He is throwing harder now than he has in years, and the guy knows how to pitch. Buch is great, but he is still getting himself back togather and rebuilding arm strength and stamina. He could blow up with a bad game if he is not yet back in synch. Peavy is a good veteran who should rise to the ocassion. He'll have to be watched closely for signs of his stuff dropping off mid game. Doubs and Dempster can piggy-back if need be on Buch and Peavy in long relief. I am much more concerned about the bulpen than the starters. Koji is money, but who gets the 7th and 8th innings--- mix and match with Breslow and Taz as the main guys?

Hey Israel, thanks. I appreciate that. I was very motivated. LOL!! The best trade that I made was for David Ortiz. He raked all year long and replaced Justin Smoak --I think. LOL! I can't claim full credit, because my son drafted my team. I was busy with an auction draft. He didn't like the team he drafted, but when I looked at it, I realized that he had done a really great job. He drafted Cliff Lee, Verlander, Matt Harvey and Cole Hamel as starters. He picked Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman as closers. That was a pretty awesome base upon which to build.

We share the same disease.

Fred, millions of Brooklyn Dodger fans never found another home. My dad and I found the Red Sox together in 1967. The first time we went to Fenway (before they built on top of the roof along the baselines and behind home plate) he kept saying how much it felt like Ebbets Field. He loved the closeness of the place and he overlooked the funny accents of the fans. LOL! It took you a little bit longer, but you found the right team.

I was wondering why I had no appetite at dinner. When I checked in on my team, I realized that it was because I had been eating U.N.'s lunch all week long. LOL! He must have been burning when I picked up Billy Hamilton -- a backup bench player just for the SB category. He got 3 SB's in limited action-- to help me easily win that category. I didn't need Greinke's or Lee's final starts on Sunday to take the WHIP category. I also didn't need my best pitcher Matt Harvey or best hitter, CarGo-- both are on the DL. Maybe he can write (i.e., whine, bitch, and make excuses) about it in his Fantasy Baseball column. Victory is sweet.

Digital research studies? What is that, the study of having a thumb up your ass?

Koji still on his roll!! The guy is money and this unlikely team continues to roll. 95 wins and counting!!

They used to do a rope-lined red carpet thing for the Hall of Famers as they arrived in limousines. My nephew and I hopped few fences and found our way to the front of the rope line. We saw all of the greats, including Stan the Man and Teddy Ballgame up close. The greatest two guys were Ernie Banks and Pee Wee Reese. They signed for everyone along the rope line. The event organizers didn't like it,because they wanted to keep things moving, but they did it anyway. I have to look for my photos of that.

The guy is very knowledgeable-- a valuable member of the team FO and a huge fan too. What a great job he has!! I'd take the job just to get his seat. LOL!! I'd even wear the dopey looking headset.

Yes, it really was a great day. I had watched him for so many years that I had to be there. While watching the ceremony, I decided that I had to go to see his induction in Cooperstown 5 years later. That was also a great day. He got inducted with Johnny Bench. The town was at overflow capacity. I went with my Dad and my oldest nephew who had never been to Cooperstown before. We had a blast-- saw so many of the greats of the game. Back then the inductions were done behind the Hall Library. The crowd overflowed into the streets. Now, they do the inductions off-site at a big field. It's not as close and intimate.

Ortiz is thumping again.

Hey JBJ, If Victorino can get to it, the ball is his. And what ever you do, Bush, don't run into him.

I don't think Kapstein wants to leave the booth. Thank goodness that they didn't have him sit in for Remy.

Ortiz was really lumbering to second base, but what a rope he hit.

JBJ isn't a big guy, but he has good power. 9 game hitting streak for Lavarnway. Maybe Fred was right about him.

Bradley has a strong arm but that was a bad misfire. Normally, he could make a more accurate throw blind-folded.

If we had to watch all Red Sox games in Spanish, we would become fluent faster than if we used Rosetta Stone. LOL!