a700hitter

Last year we would have killed to get a 6 inning performance like tonight's, but I can't believe that Dice K is happy with his performance.

We are gonna have to go deep into the bullpen tonight. Dice K's command was not good tonight. He threw way too many pitches tonight.

Yaz would be the first to tell you that he was not a good choice for captain. He never wanted it. The organization wanted it for him. He never held himself out as a leader in the clubhouse. On the field, he led by example. He worked harder than anyone, and he played hurt. The rumors of his influence with management regarding player moves is pretty baseless. Hell, he begged the Gerbil Zimmer to start Bill Lee against the Yankees in 78 instead of Bill Sprowl, and you know how that turned out. Dick Williams was fairly well despised by a lot of guys on that team, but challenging the team's biggest star was a fatal move. Yaz's status in the early 70's wasn't as secure as you think. He was almost traded to the Royals for Amos Otis. Yeah Yawkey loved him like a son, like he did with Ted Williams. Yawkey was very friendly with many of the players. He was always in the clubhouse chatting up the players. Yes, the Red Sox were late in embracing black players, but so were the Yankees. A lot probably had to do with the racial climate in Boston. They gave the fans the white team that they wanted and the fans got the crappy team they deserved. When the FO final turned that corner, they made bigger strides than the Yankees did in the 60's. The Red Sox became a contending team after bringing talent like Boomer Scott, Joy Foy, Reggie Smith to the majors in a 2 year period in 66-67. They also brought in veterans like Tartabull and Wyatt. In the late 60's and early 70's there was Ben Olgilvie and Cecil Cooper. In those years, they brought a treasure trove of talent to the big team and much of it was African American. These moves were not universally embraced by the fan population which remained very biased. I can remember going to games in the 70's where people in the Fenway crowd yelled "Pollack" at Yaz. You can blame Yawkey all you want and attribute it to his southern roots, but Boston was as intolerant as any southern city in lots of ways. It's unfair to lay it at the feet of one man who can't defend himself and who died in '76 when Boston was still having race riots over School Busing.

...and Jackie Robinson used to get pissed because Campanella didn't stand up and protest. Does that mean that Campy was a disgrace. Some guys don't make waves. It's just not their personality to protest. From the people who I have spoken to that knew Yaz fairly well, he was very much introverted. That explains why he dropped from the public scene almost entirely when he retired. Also, I have never heard anything but positive things about Yaz from his African American and Latino team mates, and I am not talking about comments made for consumption by the press. The biggest criticism that you'll hear about Yaz is that he was a cheapskate and very moody when he wasn't hitting. Judging the guy's actions as disgraceful is unfair.

Thuuuhhh Yankees Loooose!!!! Thuuuhhh Yankees Loooose!!!! ...and the Red Sox extend their lead to 10 games over the Yankees That did feel great

Pettitte was clearly done in the 6th inning. Everyone was hitting ropes in the 6th and it continued into the 7th. Torre sacrificed any chance of winning the game by staying with him too long.

The guy has been much more than I could have hoped for in the 5th slot up to this point.

Crisp is on a roll. The offense will go into hyperdrive if he can be productive.

Schilling gave a meatball clinic tonight.

...or any pitcher.

It's a devastating pitch.

A gift run for the Mets on the double after Wright reaching 1B on a two out strikeout.

I never watch a game where the opposition can put together a consistent offense against Wang. He doesn't hurt himself with walks and batters just cannot seem to make solid contact against the guy.

El Duque has put on a nice hanging curve clinic tonight. Randolph left him in until he was well-done and the game was lost. I guess he learned to sleep on the bench and sit on his hands while studying under Torre.

I think players, GMs, and other baseball people acknowledge that certain players can't take the heat of the bright lights in NY and Boston. This is similar to pitchers that can pitch in the 7th or 8th but can't close out a game. The 9th is only 3 outs, but they are the hardest 3 outs for any pitcher. Is it because the batters are better in the 9th? No. The ballparks don't shrink in the 9th, nor does the strike zone. They are the toughest three outs because of the pressure, and many successful pitchers have been unable to succeed in that role.

I hate the inconsistency of the knuckleball.

Pena is hitting under .230. He has power, but usually against mediocre pitchers. Top pitchers eat him alive. We sacrifice fielding and speed when he is in the lineup. Ellsbury should be brought up. It couldn't underperform WMP by very much.

I never quest ion anything he does at the plate, because he is a heitting genius. He's up there with the all time greats for consistency and productivity.

Cut out the middle man.

Pedroia takes one off the kidney.