1. Those two players probably deserve to face charge for assault, based on the report. 2. However, the Red Sox organization has absolutely NO CLASS. Opposing dugout and bullpen should be respected like foreign embassies. They should never allow other people to go into those areas uninvited, especially those who may incite tension. It’s simply classless!
Glad to see the Yankees behaving like total a-holes so this can return to the classic Good vs. Evil clash.
Depressing playoff stats: Nomar, 33 ABs 0 RBIs. Mueller, 4 for 30, 0 RBIs Ortiz, 3 for 30 On the plus side, Manny now has 8 RBIs in 8 games. Today is a MUST WIN game. So is tomorrow.
Wow buried under all this Sox-Yankee talk about the crap at Fenway is the fact that the Cubbies are a win away from their first pennant in something like 58 years. I think Jeff barely made mention of it. I would love a Cubs-Yankee series, while many people would like to see a Cubs-Sox series.
i'm a yankee fan. i never have thought even for a second that boston woild beat the yanks in this series. i will be very suprised if they do. highly unlikely, in mho. however, they sox have beaten the yanks in the past. 90, 88, 86, 75, 67, 48, be definition, right? if the won the al or the al east they beat the yankees. if they beat the yanks now they have not ended the curse unless they win the world series
First of all, I think the Yanks are so outraged now they would love nothing more than to sweep the next two matches...er, games...and close this out in Boston's house. Celebrate on their turf. As far as a must win, Boston's big mistake today is starting Burkett. I think Suppan should have been scheduled for this start all along. Have him ready in the pen when the Yanks light Burkett up. They can arrest Jeff Nelson if they want. He should have been arrested for how terribly he's pitched this season for the Yanks. We already have one guy out there Torre can go to if he wants to blow the game, Jeff Weaver. We don't need two. Some of you have commented on Roger Clemens and his "lack of class." I'm not going to go overboard defending him on his intensity, but Roger brings a football mentality to baseball, and that's often not a good thing. But let's face it, back in the old days, nobody would have batted an eye. Just like Karim's slide. What's the big deal? Ty Cobb used to try to carve his initials on the infielder's face when he slid into second. Part of the game. Concerning Pedro, the point isn't that Zim was "charging" Martinez or getting ready to knock Pedro into next week. It's that Zim has a metal plate in his head as part of his skull. A slight concussion might kill the man. Pedro should visit him before the game and break bread with the guy. I hope Zim wouldn't turn him away. Yanks in two. Done deal. Bring on Slammin' Sammy and the Second City losers.
Parting ways on this one, fellow Crewfan. Sweep the Cubs? HELLLLLL NAAAAWWWW!!!! The piching of Chicago has been the backbone, and it won't be that easy for the Yanks.
No kidding re: Burkett. Tonight is basically a forfeit. If Torre is smart, he'll put Soriano back at leadoff. He treats Burkett like teeball. Re: Clemens. His problem, like Manny and Sammy and Barry and so many others, is that he's so juiced on roids that his "intensity" gets the better of him sometimes. There's no better example of a guy hyped on steroids than when he threw the bat at Piazza a couple years ago. As for Pedro, I agree with this part of what you were saying. Pedro should feel bad, even though he's more/less not to blame. It's still not cool to have thrown a 72 year old legend (and former Sox manager) to the ground, even if he was out of line. (Hm, is Zim on 'roids too??) As for it being "over," I dont' think so yet. Even down 3-1, as they likely will be after tonight, I wouldn't count this team totally out yet. Unlikely, sure, but not a sure thing.
Another perspective (one that I agree with) : http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2003/columns/story?columnist=caple_jim&id=1636171
It is 58 years Dave. And unless Beckett Ks 15 Cubs or so, the pennant will be Chicago's in about 4 hours or less. And, yes, they can beat the Yanks. The pitching's there, as is the lineup. The Sox can too, but it doesn't look like they will.
Gammons' take on yesterday's insanity: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/gammons/story?id=1636542 Paints an eerie but accurate picture about the Sox' long-term future.
I'd start Suppan at this point, but I still see the game as 50-50. For what it's worth, Burkett is 2-2 vs. the Yankees this year. The key is whether Nomar and Ortiz can start hitting. Hopefully Mueller as well. BTW, has anyone noticed that the tv ratings are through the roof, up nearly 50%? This is a great year for baseball.
The Sox catch a potentially HUGE break with the weather!!! I was joking around at lunch after the Race for the Cure, and while seeing raincoats galore at the Pats game, said "hey maybe the Sox will luck out with a rainout." Never figuring it would happen. It did! Burkett gets skipped.
Final: Cubs-0 Marlins-4 Cubs Lead Series 3-2. Game 6 is on Tuesday at 8:00 PM Eastern time. Postponed: Yankees Red Sox Yankees lead series 2-1. Game 4 is on Monday 8:00 PM Eastern Time.
Not sure how eerie it is, and I don't think yesterday changed anything. The rumors about Nomar have been floating for a while now. I could see next year being his last in Boston, which will make giving up Sanchez for Suppan into a really stupid move. Though Tejada would be a nice replacement. In any case, as much as I've enjoyed watching Nomar over the years, his continued poor approach at the plate (low OBP) coupled with below avg. SS defense make him much more expendable than one would normally think. He also doesn't seem to be a huge piece of the clubhouse chemistry. As for Pedro--how many more years does he have an a bona fide Ace? I think the Sox would be smart to let him play out next season and then go as a FA. He's no Rocket. Pedro's velocity is already down from a couple years ago, and he only averages 6 IPs per start now. What'll it be like in 2-3 years? I say we sign Millwood in the off season, so the rotation would be: Pedro, Millwood, Lowe, Wakefield, and whoever. Then let Pedro go and Millwood becomes the Ace...maybe sign one of the Oakland guys to replace Pedro after their owner decides to dump salary again after next season.
I wonder if Grady will skip Burkett. I hope he does, but he has made so many bonehead moves this year, that I can easily see him sticking with Burkett. In any case, Burkett will still likely start a game this series. Here's how it shakes out: Mon - Wake (4 days rest0 Tues - Lowe (4 days rest) Wed - Burkett Thurs - Pedro (4 days rest) So you get John "BP" Burkett either in game 4 or game 6. Personally, I'd go with Wake and Lowe now, just to try to get us TO game 6. This would also be nice in that Lowe would get to pitch in Fenway, where he's been very good this year.
Your scenario for this series is exactly what Kevin Kennedy suggested on Fox, and very likely. Having Lowe pitching in Fenway is bigger than skipping Burkett now IMHO. Beckett stepped up big today for the Fish to keep them alive. Sosa overreacted in the fourth inning if you ask me. Cubs should still wrap that up on Tuesday.
Worst line of the night (if not the whole post-season) "You don't want spin on a knuckleball. (looooooong pause) Maybe at a political rally, but not on a knuckle ball (even longer pause)".
Prediction: Burkett gets into early trouble in game 6, Wakefield comes in to bail him out in the 2nd inning, and ends up getting his third win in the series... Wake has long been one of my favorite mlb players--ever since I was at Fenway for his near no-hitter in '95 when he started off the season 14-1 with like a 1.5 era. And if you saw his comments after the game tonight, you realize what a class act he is compared to guys like Pedro or Rocket. And though it's practically blasphemy for a Sox fan to admit, you gotta give Torre props for being a great manager and a great guy. God I wish he was with the Sox. Instead, we get Grady "always send the runner on 3-2 counts" Little. The dude is simply embarrassing. The next two days will be interesting to gauge just how bad Nomar, Manny, and Millar are seeing the ball right now. They all usually crush lefties, and they've got Wells and then Petitte. I'm guessing their slumps continue...At this point, it seems Nomar is getting paid by the Yanks. When he came up in the 8th, I was actually HOPING for his patented popout to SS, as I knew the alternative was the GIDP, which is of course what happened.
So now we have a series in the ALCS. Can you blame me for not wanting something this close??? Moose was mostly solid, but his two major mistakes came back to be huge. So now we have one gigantic game down by the "Dirty Water" tomorrow afternoon as Wells and Lowe go at it in the pivotal Game 5. BTW, Dr. Jones, the Yanks are paying off Nomar to be in a slump? Oy vey, now I've heard everything. But you shouldn't be so hard on Grady Little (blasphemy from the other side?). I mean he got you guys this far, right?
He was obviously kidding, but Nomar is playing unbelievably poorly. A better theory might be that he wants to leave Boston at the end of the year (no I don't believe that either). Watching him play is truly agonizing. At least Ortiz got a huge hit. Manny still has his RBIs. Grady is a horrible tactician. One of the worst I've ever seen. Maybe his motivational and people skills make up for it, but I seroiusly doubt it. He keeps trying the same idiotic moves even though they don't work. Mueller has been atrocious so why keep trying the hit and run with slow runners on first?? Insane. I'm also TOTALLY SICK of him taking Walker off. Walker is on fire, with 5 HRs in the playoffs. Yesterday's game easily could have gone to extra innings and we would be without our hottest hitter. Dumb. -- Cubs-Marlins. The baseball fan in me has taken over and I've got to root for the Cubs even though I'd hate to face them in the WS. If the Cubs win, we'll finally have a World Series that America cares about. It's been a long time.