Taz

This. Will be glad when he finally leaves, once and for all.

Every aspect of today - from the time the team list appeared - suggested that the Sox are not even interested in acting as a spoiler. There is no heart.

I make no pretensions... I want us to beat the Wankees. Let the O's take the Division. We are gonna get a pretty good draft pick now as it is... No point rubbing more salt in the wound. At least a final couple of wins over NY can give us some small amount of cold comfort that we played our part in the demise of the Wankees.

The way we have been going about our business it is plainly clear that everyone just wants the season done with. Hacking early in AB's and the most of the majority of the pitching is simply half-arsed. The only thing we can do is act the spoiler over the next few days with the Wankees. If the O's win the division, I've no probs with that - much rather the O's win it than NY.

The way we have been going about our business it is plainly clear that everyone just wants the season done with. Hacking early in AB's and the most of the majority of the pitching is simply half-arsed. The only thing we can do is act the spoiler over the next few days with the Wankees. If the O's win the division, I've no probs with that - much rather the O's win it than NY.

Being able to endure the bad times makes the good times all the more sweeter. Faithful, through and through.

Look at it this way - if the Sox lose, the O's go top in the AL E, ahead of the Wankees... and if there is one team we can agree on to try to spoil, it's the Wankees.

Well done. Congrats to Bailey for his no-no against the Pirates.

I'm still watching it... painful viewing though it may be. Faithful, through and through. Aceves stinks yet again.

"Careful, kid. They'll break your heart." This quote from the movie, 'Fever Pitch', got me to remembering how I first became a Red Sox fan & thought it would be worth sharing & am interested to learn how others also joined 'the Nation'. Here's mine: Growing up in Australia in the late 80's there wasn't much baseball on TV, except for delayed telecasts of the ALCS, NLCS & World Series, which would be shown after midnight - nearly 14 hrs after they'd been played. I remember as a kid when I was supposed to be asleep, slipping into the lounge from my bedroom at these crazy hours to watch these games & can still vividly remember watching Kirk Gibson's HR off Denis Eckersley or that great 1991 World Series, between Kirby Puckett's Twins & the Braves. This went on right through high school, and although I enjoyed watching and playing baseball, I can't say avidly followed any one team, rather just couldn't get enough of watching whatever game was on the TV. That changed however, on my first trip to the States. I was visiting some distant relatives that lived in Connecticut & I told them that as part of my trip I wanted to get to at least 1 MLB game. That it happened one of my these cousins took me on a trip to Fenway in early June 1995. There was something just felt right about the place. I remember so many details of the day, but the one thing that caught my imagination more than anything else was Tim Wakefield's knuckleball. Back home playing cricket, I had been a spin bowler, when everyone else wanted to bowl quick, so I felt a kindred spirit with this guy that was slower than anyone else in the game, but could make major league hitters look foolish. Wake pitched a 10 inning complete game to beat the Mariners. I remember talking to folk, about all aspects of the Sox, the game and especially the knuckleball. A week later, I was back at Fenway, and as fortune would have it, Wake pitched another CG, this time beating the A's. Anyhow, for better or worse, I became a Red Sox fan and have been, ever since. This year has been a weird one, as it's the first time that Wake was not there, as he had always been something like a reassuring presence for so long. From the time I first started watching the Red Sox he was always there. I've witnessed so many of his successes and failures since then, along with the mixed fortunes of the team over the years since. In 2003, for instance, I remember him dominating the ALCS and was in line for the series MVP with his 2 wins, but as fortune would have it... well, we all know what happened. Talk about highs and lows, and breaking your heart. The next year... well, what more needs to be said about 2004? Anyhow, I just wanted to say, thanks Wake, for making me a Boston fan. I've had my heart broken, but I wouldn't swap the Sox for anything.

Bottom line is, we need a fair dinkum top of the rotation ace. Of all the extensive work that needs to be done over the upcoming off season, this has to be close to the top of the list.

Nava picked his spot well for that RBI single.

Slightly off topic... The All-Fenway team was announced before the game tonight: http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/red-sox/post/_/id/23081/all-fenway-park-team-announced

Not a number 1, but completely OK with him being the Number 2 going into 2013. I think the team would be greatly enhanced by the addition of a genuine ace & further, will help Buchholz to continue to improve & potentially become an ace in his own right.

Buch doesn't look quite as sharp as he did last week, when he threw 7 shutout innings against the Rays. Early days. Hopefully he can keep it tight from here on in.

Good to see the 2004 team being honoured at Fenway tonight.

Phew... that was a tough way to get a save! The critical AB was the bases loaded with 1 out. A sac fly would've been enough to tie things up... and even the last K was a generous call by the ump.

Whaddya know? We push the O's, claw back into the game, go into extra inning &nthen that same clown Aceves (yet again) lets us down. I couldn't care less about the O's celebrating last year... We screwed ourselves a long time before then.. besides I want the O's to win the division... as it means the Stinkees will not be. The hatred of the Evil Empire far outweighs any residual ill feeling over last season's finale.

http://www.talkceltic.net/forum/images/smilies/31.gif FFS... Yet another blown save!!! Buchholz so deserved the W tonight, after pitching 7 scoreless inning.

According to the commentary, not only is it his 1st HR in the majors, but he only ever hit 2 HR in nearly 1000 AB's in the minors.

Considering how piss poor Buchholz started off this year, he really has been one of the genuinely few bright lights this season. Another high quality start tonight (and deserves the win if the bullpen can close it out), another 7 IP, 0 runs & 2 of the 3(or was it 4?) hits he allowed should have been routine outs had Ciriaco been able to play CF. One of the few players that looks like he does care about what is happening & wants to do well, even if it is just for his own professional pride. If the organization can get a fair dinkum proper ace to head up the rotation think this guy will just continue going from strength to strength.

The first was a drive up the middle. The second their 3rd baseman had it in his mitt & then lost it as he was transferring to his throwing hand. Iggy might have beaten it out anyhow... just. It was given as a hit but could easily have been marked down as an error.

Yep... made an absolute meal of a couple of very routine plays. Really had no choice.

Boston Ciriaco, 3B 0 Ellsbury, CF Pedroia, 2B Ross, C, RF Loney, 1B Saltalamacchia, DH Lavarnway, C Nava, LF Iglesias, SS Dice-K on the mound. Rays Jennings, LF Upton, B, CF Zobrist, SS Longoria, 3B Scott, DH Keppinger, 2B Joyce, RF Pena, C, 1B Molina, J, C Chris Archer starts for Tampa.

Sox going for their 3rd win on the spin... for the first time since late July.