jung

1. Mookie Betts ® RF 2. Andrew Benintendi (L) LF 3. Mitch Moreland (L) 1B 4. J.D. Martinez ® DH 5. Xander Bogaerts ® SS 6. Brock Holt (L) 2B 7. Eduardo Nunez ® 3B 8. Sandy Leon (S) C 9. Jackie Bradley Jr. (L) CF

You can get away with that snarky superior stuff with some people and some you can't. Personally, I prefer people that don't even try. But, yes, you cannot account entirely for what will come back in your direction. I will say this much. Lyons initial reaction to OB in the booth incident was simply naive but it was not snarky. OB's initial comment to Lyons which started the whole thing was snarky as heck. Lyons was simply naive to think that OB would not be sensitive to his cred as a play by play guy if Lyons told the viewing audience that for all his snarkiness about how Lyons keeps a scorecard, OB did not at that time (probably still doesn't) keep his own scorecard. I should also point out that OB hiding behind his duties as the play by play guy keeping him from keeping his own scorecard is weak, smarmy and he knew he had been caught with his pants down. That is why it was OB that started the angry shouting and sputtering WITH THE WRONG GUY I might add unless you have a death wish. As for why NESN kept its remote camera going for all of that......typical NESN production crew screw up. They finally cut away way too late and it had not ended before they cut away. They just cut out to a commercial but again waaaaaaaay to late. When they came back, the two of them were I would say, cordial but distant for the rest of that broadcast.

The Nolan Ryan "story" he told at about the 4th inning.

That is well said. I think NESN is forced to work Lyons in somehow. Remy's days in the booth are numbered clearly and Eck won't travel. But that snarky, superior attitude that OB has is in part why I called BS on the Nolan Ryan story. That is just the sort of story that a guy that never played would fall for so hard that he would repeat it. Enter dingdong OB, trying to relate something that HE thinks is interesting that just sounds like BS to anybody that played any sort of serious organized sports at almost any level from HS on.

This is nothing compared to how bad it was a few years ago. So the booth incident went as follows: NESN production used that camera in the booth that is remote controlled. It sits to the left of OB and of course OB is left of Lyons or whomever else is there. The spot started calmly enough. But OB in that sometimes snarky manner of his looks over at Lyons scorecard and says with the camera right there, "look at that scorecard. What a mess. You can't possibly make any sense of that". Lyons just trying to defend himself says "Easy for you to say, you have the production crew score the game for you and just carry up these neat updated scorecards to you every few innings". Well that was it. OB suddenly got caught with his pants around his ankles with his credibility as baseball play by play guy also around his ankles. He retorts "but but but, I have to do play by play". That was a pretty weak retort given what he said to Lyons and the snarky invective in OB's voice when he said it. Lyons hears that suddenly wimpy defensive reply and goes right back after OB's throat. "That is your excuse for not keeping your own scorecard....that its just too hard for the play by play guy. Thats news to me." Now OB losses it completely and really is just stuttering he is so mad and the production crew is I guess aghast because they don't cut back to anything, a commercial, anything. At this point they are both red and shouting at each other and I swear to God it looked like Lyons was one second from putting one of those big paws of his right through OB's face. Remember this is before Lyons had his ......."treatment" and his temper is legendary. They contain it pretty well. But they are not friends and they make this work as best they can when they are thrown together in the booth. I don't think it would work at all with the Steve Lyons we knew for all of his playing career and most of the time since. If folks think booth crews or all celebrity teams are friendly by the way, that would be beyond naive. OB does have a snarky superior attitude that does not stand him well, particularly around some athletes...not nearly as easy to deal with as Don was.

Like I said the other night, they really do not like each other at all and frankly almost came to blows in what was yet another of those NESN moments when the production staff SHOULD NOT have taken the cameras into the booth. It was not pretty and I expected that night that Lyons was going to put his fist right through OB's face. I mean it was really bad and once the NESN cameras were in the booth and it was happening live the production crew just did not know what to do about it.

Tonight's game is yet another example that in this league as currently constructed, Cora is effectively right in managing around the idea that virtually nobody we play can pitch their way out of a paper bag. Ergo....he can run with his starters longer than we might like as fans or that we are used to. But in truth the thing we are not used to is what an utter s*** league this is most particularly as it relates to pitching. That is certainly no guarantees in October when we will face better pitching every night than we sometimes face in a month in this league. But there is really no questioning Cora's tactics in the regular season. Whether our pen survives post season play will mostly depend on our starters, much like the Astros formula for success.

Psycho clearly has trouble with math

Looks like the whole team has been reading their press clippings a bit too much.

I see last night's funk has followed us here.

With all due respect to the booth and to Nolan Ryan, that sounded like an utter ******** story. If the scout had gone down to Ryan's TX high school for one of those special scouting efforts outside of an actual game and the hitters would not stand in for fear of Nolan, that I would believe. Who the heck wants to stand in for some kid pitcher throwing 90 for show who is actually trying to show off his arm to a scout. You can't pay me as a hitter because I am an amateur athlete and its not game action and you expect me to just stand in for that. Sorry ..not happening. But if they were talking about actual game action with a bunch of TX kids high school ballplayers, they are going to stand in and at least take their AB's. What the f--k is OB trying to imply, teams forfeiting games because the hitters would not stand in against Ryan. BS Sounds like a ridiculous Ryan legend to me that OB is repeating.

Guess the wrist is OK

I swear Mitch is a bit more trim this year and I think a little more fleet of foot for it.

JBJ must drive fans in opposing parks absolutely nuts. "He knows he can't get to it...He's just loping out there....its got to be over his head" NOPE

That was a pretty funny Ballplayer and Dad story Psycho just told.

I think there are two things going on in this game: 1) gibby begged his team to please please somebody help Smoak. For God sake give me one stinking game 2) we are in a bit of a funk we might come out of later in the game against the sparking Jays pen

We may not much like it...but I am absolutely convinced that Cora will not panic over Rick here. He has 21 outs to work with, only down one. If they score 7 I am convinced Cora is sure we will score 8.

Sparkling commentary from Psycho. "walked runners usually do score don't they" and the sun comes up in the east.....a rolling stone gathers no moss

And there is a kick in the nuts

Nobody can keep just throwing Curve after Curve up there. Good luck with that.

The CFers in this division. Can you imagine even a normal decent ballplayer getting anywhere near the catch Pillar almost made. Me, the best I ever was, I am doing my Jose Canseco imitation on that and its a HR.

Porcello has started so poorly tonight that I guess he had no choice with Smoak there. But we have been grooving pitches to the only guy on this entire s*** team that is hitting all series long.

Does anybody think a complete management housecleaning will be in order for these Jays after this mess of a season. They are a bunch of old broken down players and upper management should have seen that coming before bringing some of them in. They don't for Gibby. Except for one year, his teams don'e even begin to wake until about 25 games in. Wondering if enough is enough.

I actually think Porcello has gotten DJ to speed up. He is just about moving along as fast as he can with a runner on and is downright catch it and throw it again with nobody on.

What a chump team...a perfect match to gibby.