Throwing Grounders

That was just what John Lackey was doing at Fenway on Wednesday night. 13 Angels grounded out in what was Lackey's best game with the Red Sox so far, against his former club.

David Ortiz and Adrian Beltre both hit home runs as the Red Sox cruised to their third straight win over the Halos, 3-1. Papi also had a walk and single on the night, in a nice bounce back from his awful night on Tuesday.

Lackey allowed just a Brandon Wood homer in the fifth and one other single in the second, the only inning he was in any trouble. The Angels loaded the bases but did not score. He went seven solid frames.

L.A. nearly turned a triple play in the second, when Jeremy Hermida lined back to pitcher Joel Piniero, who fired to second to double off Ortiz, and the throw to first nearly got Beltre, who just got back. (If Kendry Morales hadn't been congratulating himself on catching the ball and had stayed with Beltre, who actually fell off the bag, he would have tagged him and they would have turned the TP.)

Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon were flawless in the final two innings, and Pap nailed down his 8th save. The Red Sox are back to .500, at 14-14.

The game marked Terry Francona's 1000th regular season game as manager of the Sox, and it was his 579th win, for a winning percentage of .579 (and I didn't need a calculator to figure that one out).

There was also a bomb threat at Fenway Park at 5 PM, but that proved to be baseless.

And of course, it was the night to honor Nomar Garciaparra, and he was presented with a few gifts before the game. I was able to catch the festivities on NESN on the MLB package before the game began, and it was also good to see old friends such as Trot Nixon and Brian Daubach in the house to honor their old buddy.

Nicely done, Sox.

For Dave

The Boston Globe yesterday posted an address where fans can drop Dave Roberts a line to offer some support in his fight against Hodgkin's lymphoma.

c/o Dave Roberts
San Diego Padres
Petco Park
100 Park Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92101

You can also email Dave with your thoughts:

drroberts@Padres.com

And for you Facebook fans, there is a new page that was just started to offer Dave some encouragement. I was proud to join it yesterday.

I'll Always Love Papi, But...

Jeremy Hermida was the hero last night at Fenway, as he banged a bases-clearing double in the 8th inning as the Red Sox made it two straight over the Angels, 5-1.

Jon Lester was outstanding over eight innings, allowing just one run, and got out of a bases loaded mess in the 8th by getting Bobby Abreu to hit a grounder to Dustin Pedroia, who tagged Erick Aybar (pictured), who stopped coming from first, and flipped the ball to Kevin Youkilis for a nifty DP.

But once again, it was another night to forget for David Ortiz.

Two strikeouts, and he hit into two critical double plays.

In the first, he whiffed with second and third and two outs with the first run in. Next he hit into a DP with first and second. He later struck out on three pitches, and looked badly doing so. And in the 8th, he could have made this awful night go away quickly, as he came up with the bases loaded and no outs. Just a fly ball would have given the Sox the lead. (Remember the first Tampa Bay game in the 11th inning?)

And what happens? He grounds to second, which becomes a 4-2-3 double play. Hermida bailed him out with his double and got the Red Sox a critical win.

And Mike Lowell added to Papi's misery later in the inning, as he came off the bench to pinch hit and doubled in Hermida for the fifth run.

Lowell had four hits the previous night and forced to sit because a right hander (Ervin Santana) was going for the Angels. And he comes off the bench to give the Red Sox more insurance.

Dustin Pedroia offered some support for Big Papi after the game, and I really respect him for doing so.

It really pains me to write this. David Ortiz belongs on the bench. Period. I don't see how Terry Francona can leave a hot Mike Lowell sitting while Ortiz brings his below .200 average to the plate. I know how much Papi has meant to the recent history of this franchise and he deserves the support of every Red Sox fan. (I'll never, ever boo him. Ever. And no right-thinking Sox fan ever should either.) He's a class guy and loved by all who know him. But now it is quite apparent his best days are now behind him. It is painful and sad to see to see him flailing away unsuccessfully in every clutch situation that presents itself. I was hoping the two bombs he hit in Baltimore last Saturday night might have been the beginning of a Papi Renaissance.

I really don't think it's going to happen.

Mike Lowell should be the full-time DH. Period.

David Ortiz will be one of the most beloved players in Red Sox history, forever. He deserves the respect of every Red Sox fan, especially now. It's just sad to see his great run winding down the way it is.

Trivia Q&A: May 4

We had another good crowd in for Trivia Night on Tuesday, as 16 teams took part. We got going on time, without having to worry about any playoff games.

The numbers were relatively good throughout the evening. The ones for May 4th Trivia were the weakest, but they were still rather good. It was tight through the first three rounds, but the team on top, You & Your Mother Are Whores, Gov. Jan Brewer, pulled away after Universities Trivia and wound up winning by seven points. They were one of two teams also to get 4 of the 5 IQ Trivia questions correct.

Excellent job by Gillian and her friends on another victory.

Current Events
1. This world leader started a Twitter account last week in an effort to battle those who oppose him, who he thinks "own" the social networking sites.
2. Rick Perry, governor of Texas, said he shot this kind of animal who he said was menacing his dog when he was out on any early morning jog recently.
3. Charlie Crist, this state's governor, announced he was leaving the Republican party and will run as an independent in seeking his state's Senate seat this fall.
4. Standard and Poor's cut the credit ratings of this European nation's banks to junk over the country's current funding crisis.
5. Entrepreneur Leslie Buck died last week at the age of 87, and was best known for creating the "Anthora." What is the Anthora?
6. Expo 2010, the largest world's fair in history, opened last Saturday in this Asian city.
7. This former Central American dictator was extradited from the US to France to stand trial on charges of money laundering last week.

Answers: 1. Hugo Chavez; 2. coyote; 3. Florida; 4. Greece; 5. coffee cup; 6. Shanghai; 7. Manuel Noriega.

May 4th Trivia
1. Ernest Hemingway received the Pulitzer Prize on this date in 1953 for this novella, which was the last fictional work he produced and published in his lifetime.
2. On this day in 1970, four students were killed when the National Guard opened fire on a protest at Kent State University. They were protesting the US invasion of what country?
3. In 2000, Ken Livingstone became the first mayor of what major city?
4. On this date in 1986, the famous Haymarket Square Riot occurs when a bomb is thrown at police breaking up a labor rally in what US city?
5. The Don't make a Wave Committee, an environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971, officially changed its title to this well-known name on this day in 1972.
6. Bonnie Lee Bakely, the wife of this actor and her 10th husband, was found murdered on this day in 2001.
7. This state, one of the original thirteen colonies, became the first to declare their independence from Great Britain on this day in 1776.

Answers: 1. "The Old Man and The Sea;" 2. Cambodia; 3. London; 4. Chicago; 5. Greenpeace; 6. Robert Blake; 7. Rhode Island.

American Universities Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. Gonzaga
2. Brigham Young
3. Duke
4. Rice
5. Tuskegee
6. Carnegie Mellon
7. Tulane
8. Marshall
9. Purdue
10. The Citadel

Answers: 1. Washington; 2. Utah; 3. North Carolina; 4. Texas; 5. Alabama; 6. Pennsylvania; 7. Louisiana; 8. West Virginia; 9. Indiana; 10. South Carolina.

General Knowledge
1. What US city was devastated by an 8.3 on the Richter scale earthquake in 1906? ( 1 pt)
2. What actress played the title role in Woody Allen's 1977 film, "Annie Hall?" ( 1 pt)
3. "True Blue" was the third album released by what pop superstar? ( 1 pt)
4. How many furlongs are there in a mile? ( 2 pt)
5. What actor portrayed "Quincy M.E." on TV in the 1970s? ( 2 pt)
6. In 1867, the US Senate ratified a treaty to purchase the territory of Alaska from what country? ( 2 pt)
7. The United States has six of them; Russia recently dropped two of its own and now only has nine. What are they? ( 3 pt)

Answers: 1. San Francisco; 2. Diane Keaton; 3. Madonna; 4. eight; 5. Jack Klugman; 6. Russia; 7. time zones.

IQ Trivia
1. What legendary rock lyricist wrote the words to Starship's much-maligned 1985 hit song, "We Built This City?" ( 4 points)
2. What 20th century's leaders speeches were collected in a 2007 book called "Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat?" ( 4 points)
3. For what 1967 film did Steve McQueen receive his only Academy Award nomination? ( 5 points)
4. In 1957 at Runnymede, Surrey, England, the American Bar Association erected a monument to commemorate what? ( 4 points)
5. What TV sitcom won three straight Lead Actress Emmy Awards in the 1980s, for three different actresses? ( 3 points)

Answers: 1. Bernie Taupin; 2. Winston Churchill; 3. "The Sand Pebbles;" 4. Signing of the Magna Carta; 5. "The Golden Girls."

Finally.

A blow out win for the Red Sox.

It's about time: 17-8 over the L.A. Angels.

The Red Sox pulled out the whoopin' sticks on Monday night and finally made somebody pay. Home runs from Youk, Bill Hall, Adrian Beltre (finally!) and Dustin Pedroia.

Both Mike Lowell and J. D. Drew had four-hit nights, with Lowell getting four RBI (and three doubles) and Drew three knocked in. Lowell clearly deserves more time in the DH slot.

Beltre had three RBI. Every regular had at least two hits, except Scutaro and Pedroia, who had one each.

Clay Buchholz struggled to get his first Fenway win of 2010, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up four runs.

Did anyone else notice that Don and Jerry were giving updates on the Bruins win all night, but not one score on the Celtics win in Cleveland all night long?

And finally, a note to Theo Epstein: DFA Scott Schoeneweis. Right now. If this guy can't throw strikes with a 13-run lead, what's he doing on the roster at all?

You're In Our Prayers, Dave

I was shocked to learn today that Dave Roberts was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, and has undergone two rounds of chemotherapy. Thank goodness that his diagnosis appears to be good.

Here's more from MLB.com.

Dave has been working with the Padres as a special assistant for outfielders, base running and bunting skills.

My thoughts and prayers are with Dave and his family for a complete recovery. Every Red Sox fan from New England to Timbuktu will be fighting along with you.

Let's never forget the better times:




I'm still looking forward to the day I'll be buying you that drink, Dave. God bless.

Damn Straight

Theo Epstein, after yesterday's latest debacle:

"It's not the time for excuses or sugar-coating it. We've played bad baseball. It's a bad stretch of play and when you do that at the start of the season, it looks even worse. We haven't played well, there are no excuses for how we've played. We haven't played smart baseball; we haven't really played aggressive baseball."

"We have to own it, take responsibility for it and recognize that it has to change. It's a very disappointing stretch of play. But it's also an opportunity confront it and show some leadership."

Pete Abraham pointed out today that 20 of the next 23 games will be against contenders, and by May 26th, we'll have a good idea what kind of a season this will be for the Red Sox.

I figure they must win at least 15. If they slog through the rest of this month there is a very real possibility the Sox may well be sellers by the trade deadline.

That is almost incomprehensible. But it may become a reality.

Starting On Time This Tuesday Night

The Special Category for Trivia Night this week will be "May 4th Trivia." It will be seven questions on that day in history. Lots of interesting stuff has occurred on May 4th.

The Q Train lightning round will be in honor of all those people graduating from college this month: "American Universities Trivia." I will give you the name of a well-known college or university in the USA, and you will tell me what US state it is in. Obviously, higher learning schools like Florida State or Ohio State won't be a part of it.

And the best news I have is that there will be NO playoff games on the tube at Professor Thom's tomorrow night, as both the Celtics and Bruins' series will be in an off-day. There will be the Red Sox-Angels game on, but we will get going at our regularly scheduled time of 9 PM. Sorry we had to begin the last two weeks a little later.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
What US city was devastated by an 8.3 on the Richter scale earthquake in 1906?

I hope to see many of you Tuesday night.

Hang This Loss On Francona

Would someone please explain to me why Terry Francona did not run for Jason Varitek in the eighth inning of a tie game??

He was using Victor Martinez as a pinch hitter, and he could go in to catch (so he can't use the "I don't want to use my reserve catcher" excuse), and Bill Hall, for could easily have run for Varitek (and he was entering the game in the bottom of the 8th, as Jonathan Van Every was being pinch hit for) could very well have scored the third run. We'll never know. Varitek was out by a mile at the plate on Nolan Reimold's terrific throw.

I can't blame Tim Bogar for sending Varitek home on that play, as with two outs he had to. It's just that Varitek shouldn't have been on the bases to begin with.

I love Francona as a manager, but he directly cost them this win today.

An absolutely inexcusable weekend in Baltimore. Swept by the worst team in baseball. Josh Beckett throws seven good innings, and the offense doesn't show up. And Jim Palmer, on the O's broadcast, even said that the Orioles have had one blow out win this year, in Oakland. That's one more than the Red Sox have had in 2010.

The Orioles showed me more heart and guts than the Red Sox did all weekend.

Absolutely, totally, completely inexcusable.

ESPN Ruins Baseball

This is an excellent article about ESPN and the way they are ruining Sunday Night Baseball, and I thought I would post it here as well. It is from Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. (With thanks to Johanna Wagner and her terrific site.) It is short and sweet and to the point.

I am boycotting ESPN “Sunday Night Baseball” tomorrow

I’m not one to call for boycotts. I’m just telling you what I’m doing.

Tomorrow night, the New York Mets will appear on “Sunday Night Baseball” for the third consecutive week. Next week it will be the Yankees, who opened the series and season April 4 against the Red Sox.

On May 16, ESPN takes a breather from its courtship with New York to show the Phillies at Brewers. Maybe that’s just so everyone can be rested up for the May 23 Yankees-Mets game on “Sunday Night Baseball.” It’s time for Major League Baseball to grow a pair and tell ESPN, “Enough.” There is baseball outside the Metropolis and the Hub.

Yes yes yes. ESPN pays a lot of money for the rights. All the teams share that money equally. It’s good for the Oakland A’s bottom line if incessant Yankees and Mets coverage drives ratings up. I’m a capitalist. I want ESPN to make money. Heck, my company owns a huge chunk of ESPN. What’s good for the network is good for the Chronicle.

But at some point, it get ridiculous, and three Mets games in three weeks is ridiculous.

Fix it.

Read more here.

Frankly, I am sick of ESPN hijacking EVERY Sunday game between the Red Sox and Yankees. I believe the last Sunday game they played in the afternoon was at Yankee Stadium in 2006. Granted I don't have to endure Michael Kay and the slobs at YES, but Joe Morgan is no greater alternative. I like to see a diversity of clubs on Sunday night. Listen, I'm as big a Red Sox fan as there is, but I'm sick of the tired, hackneyed way ESPN has to go into how every game between the Sox and MFY is some kind of "war."

Enough.

At Least I Didn't Witness It

Saturday night was the start of my newest softball venture, playing with some friends over in the West Village. I'll be doing that most Saturday nights this summer.

I am so glad I missed the latest travesty in Baltimore. I followed it briefly on my cell phone in-between innings. No need to rehash it. It was brutal.

The Red Sox have now lost a series to the worst team in baseball, no matter what happens on Sunday.

Dedicated fans will still stick with the mantra "it's still early."

But really, is it still early?

And ask yourself a serious question, "Can this Red Sox team run with both the Yankees and Rays?"

And what is your honest answer to that question?

Does Every Game Need Be a Gut Wrencher?

It was another of those "I really want to put my fist through the wall" games after watching the Red Sox hand one over to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night in 10 innings.

More wasted opportunities last night. Bases loaded after J.D. Drew's home run in the eighth with two outs, bases left loaded. Can't add to a one-run lead and it comes back to bite them.

David Ortiz up in the ninth with two on and two out and a tie game. I turned to my friends and said, "This is his most important at-bat of 2010. He has to shut up the doubters and detractors." And sure enough, he strikes out.

Adrian Beltre continues to be less than advertised. Another costly error leads to a run.

John Lackey had a rough first inning, was very hittable, but settled down after the two runs, and really deserved a win. Daniel Bard's meatball to Miguel Tejada ended that for the night.

Another night where the Red Sox made their fans sweat it out, and the ultimate result was again unsatisfactory. This team will have a walk-in-the-park game in 2010, right?

Back to Ortiz. It really pains me to write this, but he is just dead weight right now. Swings at ball four in that at-bat in the ninth and whiffs, against some guy named Alfredo Simon. Mike Lowell must get more at-bats, and now. I know what Papi has meant to this organization the last seven years, but he is just a rally-killer right now. My buddy Chris put it best tonight when he said he'd rather see someone in front of Ortiz swing the bat rather than walk, because you know what's coming next.

When he came to bat in the ninth, I was pulling for him, but my mind knew another strikeout was coming. I think we are seeing the final year of David Ortiz in Boston, no matter how you slice it.

And by the way, when was the last time Victor Martinez got a meaningful hit?

Right after the game, the Sox designated Alan Embree for assignment, as Daisuke Matsuzaka will be activated for his start on Saturday night. Embree leaves the Sox for the second time, this time without seeing any game action.

Five On Five

The Red Sox announced today they will honor the newly-retired Nomar Garciaparra at Fenway Park in a ceremony before next Wednesday's game against the Angels.

How appropriate. Honoring Number Five on Cinco de Mayo.

Welch, A Rocket Misfire and The Hated Indians

Here's an interesting article from the new Hauls Of Shame web site about a rare baseball card that was apparently stolen from the Baseball Hall of Fame.

It was of Hall of Fame pitcher Mickey Welch, who won 315 games in the 19th century, and was one of the best right handed pitchers of his era. His card is considered to be more valuable than the famous Honus Wagner card.

The Welch card was supposed to auctioned off on May 1st, but Robert Edwards Auctions pulled the sale down.

Elsewhere, anything that embarrasses Roger Clemens is always fine by me. (Thanks to my pal Jere for the link.)

The Indians are more despised than the Yankees or Red Sox, and are the most disliked baseball team? The Reds and Astros are more hated than the Yankees? You've got to be kidding me. (I would bet that has something to do with their nickname.) No one, and I mean NO ONE, is more hated than the MFY, no matter what some half-assed study finds. (With thanks to Allan at Joy of Sox for the link.)

Makes You Think, Doesn't It?

My buddy DJ posted the following the video on Facebook last night, and it really is phenomenal. It is a film by The American Museum of Natural History in New York, and it is a 6 1/2 minute journey through the known universe. It starts in the Himalayas, and ends back there.

But it goes a few billion years into space, into exactly what we know is out there. But of course, there is so much out there we don't know. Just an incredible video they have made, and it puts everything into perspective.

Even the music is cool. Enjoy:



And seeing the above film, I couldn't help but think of this:

It May Be a Clean City, But We Swept Toronto Anyway

My calendar says that April is coming to a close, so that means one thing: the Jon Lester we all know and love should be back in form.

And he sure was on Wednesday night, as he allowed just one hit and struck out 11. Lester simply dominated, and Daniel Bard struck out the side in the eighth, allowing a hit. And Jonathan Papelbon as simply lights out again, getting Toronto 1-2-3 for his seventh save, and Lester's first win of the season, 2-0. It was the first sweep by the Red Sox this season.

Another superb start by the rotation. I was getting worried there for a while.

Brett Cecil was terrific for the Jays, allowing just a sacrifice fly to Dustin Pedroia in the sixth and an RBI single to Darnell McDonald in the seventh.

The Red Sox have now won 7 of 9, and are back to .500, at 11-11. They passed Toronto into third place, 5 1/2 behind Tampa Bay and three behind New York.

The Sox now head to Baltimore and take on the Birds Friday night, with John Lackey on the mound.

Speaking of one hit (or should I say, "What, one goddamned hit?"), I wish all the best to my favorite ersatz Cleveland Indians broadcaster, Harry Doyle (pictured), also known as Bob Uecker. Ueck is having heart surgery on Friday, and I wish him godspeed and hope he returns to the booth soon.

I Can't Believe Buchholz Pitched Eight Innings

Well, the title of this post actually comes from a team from Trivia Night last night.

I was also amazed how good Clay Buchholz pitched last night, as in the eight innings he went, he allowed seven hits, walked two and struck out four. He's currently the ace of the Red Sox staff right now. He allowed the Toronto Blue Jays just one run in the first, and then settled in, throwing 117 pitches. He was rarely in trouble, and gave the Red Sox staff, especially the bullpen, which was taxed on Monday night's slugfest, a nice breather last night.

Terry Francona rolled the dice in the ninth, as Jonathan Papelbon had pitched in five of the previous six games. He brought in Ramon Ramirez. But the gamble paid off, as Ramirez got the Jays 1-2-3 to get his first save, as the Red Sox won, 2-1.

Jeremy Hermida singled in David Ortiz in the second to make it 1-1. From there it was a duel between Buchholz and Shawn Marcum, who was equally as good. The Red Sox laoded the bases in the eighth with two outs, and closer Kevin Gregg came in to face Mike Lowell, who was batting for Ortiz (second time and counting). Gregg wasn't anywhere close, and walked Lowell on four pitches to give the Red Sox the lead.

The Sox go for the sweep tonight, as Jon Lester takes the mound. Before last night's game, they sent Scott Atchison to Pawtucket, and brought up pitcher Fabio Castro, to help the worn out pen. And once the game concluded, castro returned to AAA, and Alan Embree was brought back to the Red Sox for his second stint in Boston. (Actually, if he wasn't brought up by this week, he could declare his free agency, so the Red Sox brought him up. This could spell the end of the road for Scott Schoeneweis, as Daisuke Matsuzaka will be activated on Saturday, and another pitcher will go.)

Trivia Q&A: April 27

It was a big night at Professor Thom's on Tuesday night, as the crowd was enjoying the Celtics wrap up their opening round series with Miami, and the Red Sox took a second game in Toronto. (There was even "Lost" Trivia going on up in the Loft, but not hosted by me. They had a big turnout for that, too.)

We had 19 teams in for the Trivia, and we didn't get started until the Celtics game ended at about 9:30 PM. (Nice to see my old friends, The BLOHARDS, in for Trivia Night after an extended absence.) Most teams got off to a good start with Current Events, but the Q Are You? round was a bit tough, and the highest score was just 5 of 7. The scores on The Q Train and General Knowledge were pretty strong as well.

The top teams were close all night, and we had the top five teams separated by just two points going into IQ Trivia. But the team holding first place, It's Not Illegal, Just Frowned Upon, Just Like Masturbating In An Airplane held on and won the title by four points by getting 4 of the 5 questions.

Nice job guys, as they achieved the rare double of winning Trivia Night and Best Team Name as well.

Current Events
1. A senior cleric in Iran last week said that women who wear revealing clothing and behave promiscuously are to blame for this, something that has always plagued the country.
2. A recent poll in the US and Western Europe by Harris Interactive of the world's most respected leaders named these two men at the top of the poll. Name 1 of the 2.
3. This rock star suffered a brain hemorrhage last weekend and was in critical condition, according to his web site.
4. Islamic fundamentalists in this African country declared music to be "un-Islamic" and radio stations throughout the country cut all music from their broadcasts.
5. Benjamin Hooks, a Baptist minister, attorney and executive director of this organization from 1977-1992, died recently at the age of 85.
6. This state enacted a new immigration law last week, sparking lots of controversy and calls to boycott the state in terms of tourism and major events there.
7. Heinz Fischer was re-elected president of what country this past Sunday?

Answers: 1. Earthquakes; 2. Barack Obama and Dalai Lama; 3. Bret Michaels; 4. Somalia; 5. NAACP; 6. Arizona; 7. Austria.

Q Are You?
1. This man was born in Montreal, QUE in 1931. He is an actor, novelist, author and a recording artist. He's best known for his role on an iconic TV series of the 1960s, but he won two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his work on an ABC series in the 2000s.
2. This woman was born in Ladysmith, BC in 1967. She's a model, actress, producer and author. She was Playboy's Playmate of the Month, starred in two highly successful TV series and has been married three times.
3. This man was born in Texarkana, TX in 1930. He founded his first company, Electronic Data Systems in 1962, which he sold in 1984 to GM for $2.4 billion. He's dabbled in politics and is currently the 85th richest man in America.
4. This man was born in New Orleans, LA in 1976. He's been the MVP of the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, and the NFL four times, a 10-time Pro Bowl selection, and was the overall number one selection in the 1998 NFL draft.
5. This man was born in Shropshire, England in 1939. He was the lead singer and guitarist of a UK band that had limited success but a devoted following and after they split in 1974, he's had a successful solo career, with his best known song was the theme song for Drew Carey's ABC TV series.
6. This woman was born in New York City in 1981. She's a singer, musician and actress. Her first album in 2001 sold 12 million copies and it earned her 5 Grammy Awards. Her third album in 2007 earned her three more and she was named top R&B artist of the 2000s by Billboard magazine.
7. This man was born in New York City in 1946. He has directed 18 feature films and won three Oscars, one for Adapted Screenplay and two for Best Director, and overall his films have won nine Academy Awards.

Answers: 1. William Shatner; 2. Pamela Anderson; 3. Ross Perot; 4. Peyton Manning; 5. Ian Hunter; 6. Alicia Keys; 7. Oliver Stone.

1-10 Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. The number of years the American Civil War took to fight.
2. This was the number of Roman Catholic presidents in American history.
3. This is the number of elements in the Periodic Table that begin with the letter "Z."
4. Dudley Moore starred in a film in 1979 with this number.
5. How many different types of pieces are there in a standard game of chess?
6. How many counties are there within New York City?
7. How many points is a ringer worth in horseshoes?
8. This was the total number of deadly sins.
9. This was the number worn by MLB Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski, Yogi Berra and Gary Carter.
10. The Beatles had a song on "The White Album" called "Revolution Number what?"

Answers: 1. four; 2. one; 3. two; 4. ten; 5. six; 6. five; 7. three; 8. seven; 9. eight; 10. nine.

General Knowledge
1. What restaurant franchise did Ray Kroc take over in 1954? ( 1 pt)
2. What actress won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in "Walk the Line?" ( 1 pt)
3. The battles of Lexington and Concord marked the beginning of what war? ( 1 pt)
4. The Third Republic was what nation's government from 1870-1940? ( 2 pt)
5. What astronaut circled the earth in 1962 in the space capsule Friendship 7? ( 2 pt)
6. What team was Josh Beckett the World Series MVP for in 2003? ( 2 pt)
7. Between China, Australia and Brazil, which nation is the smallest in area? ( 3 pt)

Answers: 1.McDonald's; 2. Reese Witherspoon; 3. American Revolutionary War; 4. France; 5. John Glenn; 6. Florida Marlins; 7. Australia.

IQ Trivia
1. What welterweight champion boxer, born Walker Smith Jr., was chosen as the greatest fighter of the 20th century by the Associated Press? ( 4 points)
2. Founded in 1867, what organization required members to pledge to "protect the weak, innocent and defenseless, and to relieve the injured and oppressed?" ( 5 points)
3. What early 20th century novelist is best known for a series of novels called "Remembrance of Things Past?" ( 3 points)
4. What mountain was called Denali ("The Great One") by the Indians, but Bolshaya Gora ("Great Mountain") by the Russians? ( 4 points)
5. What country singer released an album in 1992 called "Joshua, Judges and Ruth" named after three books of the old Testament? ( 4 points)

Answers: 1. Sugar Ray Robinson; 2. Ku Klux Klan; 3. Marcel Proust; 4. Mount McKinley; 5. Lyle Lovett.

Slogfest North of the Border

Was watching that game in Toronto last night like pulling teeth or what?

I was bouncing between feeds last night, as ESPN was going from game-to-game, with the Mets-Dodgers game rained out. So they showed the NESN feed of the game for about 3 innings. (The MLB package had the Jays feed. Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler aren't bad, but I'll take Don and Jerry any day.)

Once again the Sox got Josh Beckett some runs and he totally wasted it. A 5-0 lead was gone in the third, as Beckett got pounded for 6 runs. But the Jays pitching was hardly better, as Dana Eveland surrendered eight and the Sox had the lead back in the fourth, 8-6. But Beckett put the first two on, and Terry Francona pulled the plug mercifully, and brought in Scott Atchison. (Uh-oh.) Actually, he wasn't that bad, getting two outs, before a fly to left was just missed against the wall by Bill Hall, and the game was tied again.

The Sox finally jumped out to stay in the sixth, getting four to take a 13-9 lead. The best news of the night was the pitching of Manny Delcarmen, who retired all six men he faced in the sixth and seventh. But Hideki Okajima, who has been simply hideous as of late, put three men on and two of them scored in the eighth before Daniel Bard got the Sox out of the eighth with a 13-12 lead.

Jonathan Papelbon got a 1-2-3 ninth inning (thank goodness), and 4 hours and 4 minutes after it started, the Red Sox had a 13-12 win. It was brutal to sit through, but a win is a win. The Red Sox are now 9-11, and have won five of their last seven.

It was good to see that the Red Sox scored 13 runs without the benefit of a home run. Jason Varitek had four RBI, and five players had at least three hits.

My friend Adam pointed out to me last night that Josh Beckett's numbers for April 2010 are eerily similar to April 2009:

2010: 7.22 ERA, 37 H and 13 BB in 28.2 IP
2009: 7.22 ERA, 36 H and 16 BB in 28.2 IP

Well, let's hope he turns it around this year the way he did last year. And soon.

"Monbo Time"

I thought I would alert you all to a very special project for a really special cause.

"Monbo Time" is a cool little three minute and six second ditty about the Red Sox and former pitcher Bill Monbouquette. It was performed by The Remains, a band of four Boston University students from the 1960s. The band got together and recorded that song in support of Monbo, who was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago.

The Remains will be donating 50% of all sales of the song to the treatment of cancer and research. It is available now from cdbaby.com, and also will be available on iTunes shortly and other online outlets. Check out the lyrics and a clip from the song here. The lyrics were penned by Fred Cantor and David Levin, based on an old Remains tune called "Time Keeps Movin' On."

Here's a nice recent article about the Remains and the song from NESN. Bill is now in remission in his fight against leukemia after a successful stem cell transplant he had over a year ago.

It really is a cool song, and well worth your support. I wish The Remains every success with the single, and Bill Monbouquette godspeed in his fight against leukemia.

"Q Are You" Marks Its April Return

This week's Special category for Trivia Night will be this month's edition of "Q Are You?", where I give you clues on a current celebrity's identity and you have to tell me who it is. It has been a good category that most folks seem to like, so we bring it back once every month.

The Q Train lightning round will be "1-10 Trivia", the category where every answer will be a number between 1 and 10 (with no repeats).

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
The Battles of Lexington and Concord marked the beginning of what war?

There wil be a Celtics playoff game on Tuesday night (I was really hoping they would have wrapped it up yesterday), but it will begin at 7 PM, so we will get going at the conclusion of the game, which should be around 9:15-9:30 PM. If it is a late start, we might just do four categories on Tuesday night, but that will all depend on our start time.

See you on Tuesday night.

Wake's Quest Takes Another Hit

Sunday wasn't Terry Francona's best afternoon managing the Red Sox bullpen.

He pulled Tim Wakefield a bit too early. Wake left with a 4-1 lead in the 7th with two outs, a man on and Nick Markakis at the plate. Tito went with Hideki Okajima and he promptly gave up an RBI double, and then Miguel Tejada banged one off the foul pole in left to tie the game at 4.

Yet another possible win for Wakefield was gone, as the pen turned into the Arson Squad again. Tim left the game tipping his hat to the crowd, as the bullpen now awaits him. (He didn't look terribly happy leaving the game, but the Sox faithful gave him a really nice ovation as he departed.) It now looks more and more like Wake will have no end of trouble reaching the Red Sox all-time win mark of 192, as he is still stuck on 175 career Red Sox wins.

A damn shame really.

BTW, Wake's first appearance out of the pen this year will mark his first relief stint since a very memorable outing: Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS, where he went three innings and got the win.

The game went to the tenth inning, and as soon as I saw Scott Atchison in the game, I knew this one was heading for the "L" column. And sure enough, he loaded the bases with no outs, and Scott Schoeneweis gave up two straight singles that got Baltimore three runs. Atchison will either be DFA'd or sent down when Daisuke Matsuzaka joins the rotation.

The Red Sox scrambled for two runs in the bottom of the tenth, and had two on with two outs, but Marco Scutaro lined out to second to end it. It was just the Orioles' third win of the year and broke a ten-game losing streak. Against the worst team in baseball this past weekend, the Red Sox basically had to claw for those two wins. The O's got 16 runs against the Sox pitching staff, and they had been the lowest scoring team in the AL. Not good.

I love Terry Francona as Red Sox manager, and I despise those idiots who refer to him as "Francoma" when things he does doesn't work out. He has his bad games like the players do. This was just one of them.

Now, off to Toronto and Baltimore for six games, and Daisuke Matsuzaka will be activated for his first start of the year on Saturday in Baltimore.

A Rockin' Good Saturday Night

I only caught a brief part of Saturday night's Red Sox game with the Orioles, as I went to Ian Hunter's show at The City Winery in the West Village last night. It was the first time seeing him live, and boy, can that man still rock at the age of 70!

I was in a bar/restaurant near the show with my dear friend and Mott the Hoople fanatic Joan, who arranged to get me to the show. We talked over some old times from our Tower Records days, and at one point I asked the owner of the bar if he could put on the Red Sox-Orioles game, which he was kind enough to do.

It was just in time to see Marco Scutaro blast a three-run shot into the Monster seats to make it 4-3, Red Sox. We left to go to the show but I was following the game on my cell phone, and it was 7-3 in the 8th on my next update, as I saw the Kevin Youkilis belted another three-run shot in the 7th. Finally, a comfortable win.

Hold the phone. I saw that Ramon Ramirez was in the game in the ninth (he really gives me the willies), and sure enough he gave up a homer and a double after the first out, so Jonathan Papelbon was summoned, and gave up three straight hits to make it 7-6. I started thinking that the Sox were going to totally ruin my night with Ian Hunter, as I really didn't want to keep checking my cell while the concert was going on.

As Ian and his band were concluding their first song, I saw the third out was made and the Sox held on. Papelbon struck out the final two hitters (including Ty Wigginton, who went 4-for-4 and always seems to give the Sox fits in recent years).

It was a terrific night, as the band did 23 songs over 2 1/2 hours and I had a great time.

Red Sox go for the sweep today as Tim Wakefield makes his final start before heading to the pen with Daisuke Matsuzaka returning this coming week.

Do We Have To Sweat The Orioles?

That was my pal Joe's query last night as I was at Professor Thom's watching last night's game during my friend Ruth's cancer benefit (which was a lot of fun). And the answer to Joe's question last night was "yes."

So far, we're sweating everybody this month, no matter where they are in the standings.

David Ortiz banged his first home run of the year, and Jon Lester was certainly better than his last outing, going 5 2/3 innings and didn't allow a run. He left with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth, and Daniel Bard got the final out to keep the shutout intact.

But he gave up a two-run shot to Adam Jones in the seventh, and Baltimore tied it with a run on a groundout in the eighth. Despite being 2-14, teams like the Orioles scare me, as they really aren't as bad as they appear, and they will start winning games. Never take them for granted.

The Red Sox scratched out a run in the bottom of the inning on a single, two groundouts, an intentional walk, a four-pitch walk to David Ortiz, and Adrian Beltre drew another walk to get the Red Sox the lead back.

Jonathan Papelbon had some drama in the ninth. He got the first two outs (one when Nick Markakis was thrown out at second trying to stretch a single into a double) but walked the next two (one intentionally after a stolen base) before former Red Sox pariah Julio Lugo struck out swinging to end the game, 4-3.

Another nail biter the Red Sox put their fans through last night. Once again, the faithful could use a laugher and soon. John Lackey takes the ball at Fenway against the O's tonight.

Six Is Not Enough

A sweep of the Texas Rangers was not meant to be on Thursday night, as Clay Buchholz pitched six solid innings, allowing just two hits.

But Texas got to him for three runs in the seventh, and the Red Sox bats were stymied all night by C.J. Wilson and the Rangers pen and the final was 3-0. Buchholz struck out ten, a career high. But the run support wasn't there last night.

Buchholz struggled in his first starts and appeared to be a candidate to move to the bullpen, with Daisuke Matsuzaka returning to Boston shortly. But the decision has been made to move Tim Wakefield to the long man role in the pen. (I would guess that would make Scott Atchison the odd man out, but we'll see what the Sox do when Dice-K is activated.)

The bullpen threw two more scoreless innings (Ramirez and Schoeneweis) last night, and was terrific in the Texas series. They look miles better since the first awful week of the season.

Terry Francona announced yesterday that Jacoby Ellsbury has four hairline fractures of his ribs, after the collision with Adrian Beltre on April 11th. (Is it me or did it take the Sox crack medical staff an awfully long time to make that diagnosis?)

The Red Sox trail the Tampa Bay Rays by six games and are at 6-10. Look on the bright side: the 2-14 Baltimore Orioles are in town for three games.

And guess what? Slappy's in the middle of controversy. Yet again.

Thank You, Kevin

Our old friend Kevin Millar has indeed hung up his spurs, er, spikes, and is calling it a career at age 38. KFC retires with a lifetime .274 average, 169 home runs, and 697 RBI. Nothing Hall of Fame-worthy mind you, but he will live in Red Sox glory forever for what he did the night of October 17, 2004, with the Sox in an 0-3 hole in the 2004 ALCS against the You-Know-Whos, telling anyone who would listen to him:

"Don't let us win tonight! Just don't let us win tonight!"

He began the greatest comeback in baseball postseason history (as well as sports history) by drawing a walk against the so-called greatest closer in history, and then took a seat as Dave Roberts got it moving even more dramatically.

Not bad for a guy who began his MLB career as a replacement player during the infamous, idiotic baseball strike of 1994-95.

All of us in Red Sox Nation wish you all the best, Kevin, in your new gig on the MLB Network as an analyst. We look forward to more of the goofiness that endeared you to all of us.

I posted both of these YouTube clips three weeks ago when Millar was released by the Cubs, but they are worth checking out again. The first is Kevin telling Red Sox Nation to hang tough after falling behind Cleveland in the 2007 ALCS (and he was an Oriole then!), and the other is his famous "Born In The USA" video that played on the scoreboard at Fenway during his Sox days, known as "Rally Karaoke Guy."

Thanks for the memories, Kevin. I owe you a drink if we ever meet.

Youk Gets The Hero Pounding This Time

It looked like another night the Red Sox were going to piss me off yet again.

Josh Beckett gave up four runs in the first two innings, and walked five Texas Rangers on the night. Another crappy start by the Sox was under way. But the bats got going in the second, with a Mike Lowell home run.

In the third, J.D. Drew hit a ball with the bases loaded right down the right field line that landed in the first rows of seats for a grand slam to give the Red Sox the lead, 5-4.

They added another in the fourth when new Fenway cult hero Darnell McDonald hit his second homer in two nights. (For the rest of the night, the park was abuzz every time he stepped to the plate. He also drew two walks as well.) The Sox added another in the fifth, and Josh Beckett was cruising into the seventh with a 7-4 lead.

But he ran into trouble, putting the first two on, and with one out, Josh Hamilton hit a bomb into the bleachers in dead center to tie it up. Beckett went seven and gave up seven runs, and got a no-decision.

Then it became a battle of the bullpens. Daniel Bard, Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima allowed Texas only one hit for the remaining five innings, and the Texas pen was just as good, retiring 18 Red Sox in a row until the 12th. Neftali Feliz was tremendous, retiring all six he faced, and the NESN radar gun said he hit 102 MPH in striking out Kevin Youkilis.

Marco Scutaro singled with one out in the 12th. He tagged up on a deep Drew fly to center, and just made it to second. It would be a big play, as the Rangers walked Dustin Pedroia intentionally, and Youk came up and singled off the Green Monster to give the Red Sox their second straight win in their final turn at-bat.

Another win they desperately needed. These late night wins can take a toll. Can we please have a laugher soon, guys?

Vikings Get The NY Teams, Pats

The Vikings will open the 2010 season against the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints on Thursday night, September 9th at the site of last year's disappointment, the Louisiana Superdome. It is also the first NFL game of the regular season. (Have you noticed that both ESPN and NBC must have the previous year's champions in both baseball and football respectively for the very first game of the year?)

They will also play both New York teams in 2010. The Jets first at the new Meadowlands stadium (whatever it will be called, I guess after whatever corporation ponies up the most cash for the name) on October 11, a Monday night game. They play the Giants for the third straight September at the Metrodome, on December 12th.

I was very curious to see that the Vikes take on the New England Patriots on October 31st at Foxboro. It will be the only time I will call Professor Thom's hostile territory.

The Vikings open their home schedule against Miami on September 19th, and close the season on January 2nd in Detroit. (The NFL is scheduling nothing but divisional games that final week of the season. Interesting idea.) They will also have an early bye this year, in Week 4.

They will also play one other game on Monday night, against Chicago on December 20th, and one Sunday night game, October 24th in Green Bay.

Here is the complete Vikings schedule:

Wk	Date	Game	Stadium	Time (ET)		Network
1	Sep 09	MIN @ NO	Superdome	8:30 PM		NBC
2	Sep 19	MIA @ MIN	Mall of America Field	1:00 PM		CBS
3	Sep 26	DET @ MIN	Mall of America Field	1:00 PM		FOX
4	Bye
5	Oct 11	MIN @ NYJ	New Meadowlands Stadium	8:30 PM		ESPN
6	Oct 17	DAL @ MIN	Mall of America Field	4:15 PM		FOX
7	Oct 24	MIN @ GB	Lambeau Field	8:20 PM		NBC
8	Oct 31	MIN @ NE	Gillette Stadium	4:15 PM		FOX
9	Nov 07	ARI @ MIN	Mall of America Field	1:00 PM		FOX
10	Nov 14	MIN @ CHI	Soldier Field	1:00 PM		FOX
11	Nov 21	GB @ MIN	Mall of America Field	1:00 PM		FOX
12	Nov 28	MIN @ WAS	FedEx Field	1:00 PM		FOX
13	Dec 05	BUF @ MIN	Mall of America Field	1:00 PM		CBS
14	Dec 12	NYG @ MIN	Mall of America Field	1:00 PM		FOX
15	Dec 20	CHI @ MIN	Mall of America Field	8:30 PM		ESPN
16	Dec 26	MIN @ PHI	Lincoln Financial Field	1:00 PM		FOX
17	Jan 02	MIN @ DET	Ford Field	1:00 PM		FOX

Hallelujah: A Memorable 98th Anniversary

It sure didn't look like it would be the Red Sox night on Tuesday, which was the 98th anniversary of Fenway Park's opening in 1912.

Tim Wakefield was getting hit, giving up six runs and putting the Red Sox in a 6-1 hole by the fourth inning. The Texas Rangers ran wild on Victor Martinez, and stole nine bases on the night.

All I could think to myself was, "Can't anyone on this team pitch anymore?"

Well, after Wakefield left after 5, the pen shut Texas down and gave the offense a chance to get back in the game. Jeremy Hermida hit a home run, and in the sixth, Josh Reddick hit a ball in left that Josh Hamilton overran as he headed to the left field seats and it bounced in, and appeared to hit a fan in the head. But the umps missed it, and allowed a second run to score to make it 6-4.

It stayed that way until Darnell McDonald, just called up earlier in the day to replace Jacoby Ellsbury, who went on the DL, blasted a pitch into the Monster Seats with one on to tie it up at 6. He was the first Sox player since Orlando Cabrera in 2004 to homer in his first Red Sox at-bat. It looked like McDonald's homer might just be a footnote, as the Red Sox reverted to their usual ways by leaving the bases loaded to finish the inning.

The Red Sox had first and third and one out in the ninth and Adrian Beltre popped up to keep the runners where they were. (Oh no, not another wasted opportunity.) Jason Varitek walked to bring up that man again: McDonald. He hit a pitch that I first thought was heading into the seats, but instead Hamilton just missed catching it to give the Red Sox an extremely needed big-time win, 7-6. (I didn't mind the wild celebration in the infield, as you know I'm a critic of those inane "walkoff" things. But the Sox needed to let out the frustration. I just glad they didn't kill McDonald.)

To paraphrase Warner Wolf, who would say this whenever a struggling team won: "Hey, the Red Sox won a ballgame tonight!"

The five-game losing streak is over and now the Red Sox have to build on this to get the ship righted.

And my buddy Eric pointed out after the game that the combination of Darnell McDonald and Josh Reddick, with just one game this season between them, have 5 RBI in 5 at-bats. The combo of Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron, in 60 at-bats, have a grand total of: 1 RBI.

And Mike Lowell pinch-hit for David Ortiz (two more strikeouts last night) in the 8th inning with a lefty in the game and walked. I have a feeling that won't be the last time we see that happen this year.

Trivia Q&A: April 20

We had 17 teams in for Trivia Night, and a nice crowd in to watch the Celtics playoff game and the Red Sox-Rangers game. We got going just after the scheduled time, and the scores in the first categories were rather strong, especially in "Lexigraphic Trivia." I guess most folks know their lexigraphy. (And the bar was hopping at the Celtics blowout win, and even more when the Sox came from behind and won.)

We had just six teams get all five points in All or Nothing Trivia, and after some good scores in General Knowledge, it was close heading into IQ Trivia. But the team of Suck It, Bjork ran the table in that round and pulled out a two-point win. It was only just the second time in our Trivia Night's history that a team who missed the first round won it all in just four rounds. Nice job to Matt and his friends.

And a tip of the cap to the team of Bob Eyjajallajokull's Law Blog for helping me pronounce that name. I was calling it "That Volcano in Iceland" until they wrote the correct pronounciation for me, and that gave everyone a good laugh. And I rewarded them by giving them the prize for Best Team Name (which was a pitcher of beer).

Current Events
1. This TV personality filed for divorce from his wife of 13 years last week, and it will be his eighth overall divorce.
2. Volcanic ash from an eruption of a volcano on this island nation disrupted air traffic across northern and western Europe this week.
3. First Lady Michelle Obama made her first overseas visit without the president last week. Name 1 of the 2 countries she visited.
4. This prestigious American newspaper was awarded four Pulitzer Prizes last week, the most any newspaper received for its work in 2009.
5. Conan O'Brien announced his return to television recently, and it will be with this network beginning this coming November.
6. This state selected "an official microbe" last week, Lactococcus Lactis, which is bacterium used to make cheddar, Colby and Monterey Jack cheese.
7. Ubaldo Jimenez, a pitcher on this NL team, threw the first no-hitter in the team's history, a 4-0 whitewash over the Atlanta Braves last Saturday night.

Answers: 1. Larry King; 2. Iceland; 3. Haiti and Mexico; 4. Washington Post; 5. TBS; 6. Wisconsin; 7. Colorado Rockies.

Lexigraphic Trivia
1. At Symbol
2. Caret
3. Asterisk
4. Pound Key
5. Ampersand
6. Semi Colon
7. Tilde
8. Copyright Symbol
9. Backslash
10. Elipses

Answers: 1. @; 2. ^; 3. *; 4. #; 5. &; 6. ;; 7. ~; 8. (c inside of a circle); 9. \; 10. ...

All or Nothing Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. This is the largest continent in the world in area.
2. CNN was launched in 1980 by what man?
3. What is America's longest river?
4. The Battle of Gettysburg was fought in 1863 in what state?
5. The Hundred Years War was actually more than 100 years long. True or false?
6. What state is known as the Hoosier state?
7. What Shakespeare play begins with the line, "Who's there?"
8. Gingivitis affects what part of the body?
9. The Baseball Hall of Fame is located in what state?
10. Adam West portrayed what superhero on TV in the 1960s?

Answers: 1. Asia; 2. Ted Turner; 3. Mississippi; 4. Pennsylvania; 5. true (116 years); 6. Indiana; 7. "Hamlet;" 8. gums; 9. New York; 10. Batman.

General Knowledge
1. In which century did George Washington begin his first term as president? ( 1 pt)
2. How man US states contain the word "new" in them? ( 1 pt)
3. What one-time Michigan-based record label recently celebrated its 50th anniversary? ( 1 pt)
4. Name 1 of Canada's 2 national sports. ( 2 pt)
5. What current US state is the site of the only World War II land battle fought on US soil? ( 2 pt)
6. "Meerschaum" and "corncob" are two popular types of what? ( 2 pt)
7. A framboise beer is fermented using what kind of fruit? ( 3 pt)

Answers: 1. 18th century; 2. four (NY, NJ, NM, NH); 3. Motown; 4. hockey and lacrosse; 5. Alaska; 6. pipes; 7. raspberry.

IQ Trivia
1. Which US state was its own republic from 1777-1791? ( 3 points)
2. The Hemlock Society, an American right-to-die organization, took its name to honor what philosopher? ( 5 points)
3. What comedian did rocker Iggy Pop phone in 1968, seeking approval for his band's new name? ( 4 points)
4. Who's last book, "Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium" was a posthumous bestseller in 1997? ( 4 points)
5. Who was the only filmmaker to win two Best Director Oscars during the 1980s? ( 4 points)

Answers: 1. Vermont; 2. Socrates; 3. Moe Howard; 4. Carl Sagan; 5. Oliver Stone.

Cameron to the DL; Ellsbury Next?

The Red Sox received some bad news as far as Mike Cameron's health goes. Turns out he has a hernia, this diagnosis coming after he passed kidney stones last Friday. He's now been put on the disabled list, and may very well be there longer than just 15 days.

He has an abdominal tear, and the Sox are not sure if he'll need surgery for it yet. Josh Reddick was called up today to replace him on the roster. Here's more from Amalie Benjamin.

Jacoby Ellsbury will test his sore ribs today, and the Red Sox will make a determination on whether or not to put him on the DL retroactive to April 11th, the day he collided with Adrian Beltre and suffered the injury.

The Hole Deepens

An embarrassing four games against the Tampa Bay Rays concluded with the Red Sox get whacked again, 8-2, before a sellout crowd on Patriot's Day, ending a six-game winning streak they had on this holiday.

Once again, the Sox couldn't get a hit with men in scoring position, and John Lackey got raked over the coals, as he surrendered all eight runs in 3 1/3 innings.

They are 4-9, and now 6 games back of the Rays in fourth place. They've lost five straight.

On Patriot's Day, April 19th.

Unacceptable.

How embarrassing was this weekend? The Red Sox never had a lead in the series, and after blowing that bases loaded opportunity in the first game on Saturday night, I had a feeling this would be a weekend to forget. (The last time the Red Sox led in any game was the win in Minnesota last Wednesday.) The last three games were blowouts. (Despite the 6-5 score in Game 2, Tampa Bay was comfortably ahead most of the way.)

The Red Sox are now an absymal 0-for-their-last-32 with runners in scoring position.

One thing is for certain: the Sox won't win with Bill Hall playing center field. (Pictured, as B.J. Upton hits a three run home run in the third.) He finally got his first hit of the year, and now he needs just one more to match his error total for 2010.

In the words of Dustin Pedroia (from Amalie Benjamin) after the sweep:
When you don't show up to play, you're going to get beat. Doesn't matter if you play the Rays or [bleepin'] Brookline High School.

Damn straight.

So, is this an aberration, or a portend of things to come?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Gagne's Back!

No, not really. This was actor Jonah Hill throwing out the first ball at Fenway on Sunday. (BTW, is he available to pitch? After what I've seen the last three days, he couldn't be any worse.)

Sorry if I frightened any of you with that title.

With thanks to Sully Baseball for the photo.

On the subject of The Ring Thief, he officially retired yesterday after not making it back with the Dodgers this spring.

Know Your QWERTY

We have an unusual Special Category this week for Tuesday Night Trivia. We will have "Lexigraphic Trivia" and that will be ten symbols of the English language you will have to identify when I give you their names. This should be an interesting category to see how well it goes.

The Q Train lightning round will be "All or Nothing Trivia."

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
What one-time Michigan-based record label recently celebrated its' 50th anniversary?

There will be a Celtics playoff game on Tuesday night at 8 PM, but we are planning to start Trivia Night at the regularly scheduled time of 9 PM. So I hope to see many of you on Tuesday.

Hauls of Shame

A new book is coming out shortly called "Hauls of Shame." It deals with the fraud and corruption in the baseball memorabilia business, especially those very rare items that were stolen from the libraries in Boston and New York, and from the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown.

And a new web site of the same name has been created, that focuses on those stolen items, the FBI's investigations, and many other things connected to the seedier side of the collectibles business in baseball. The site and book are by Pete Nash, who has been front and center in bringing the fraud to the public's attention.

It's definitely worth your time to check out the site: http://haulsofshame.com/index.php

In Plain, Easy-to-Understand Language

The Boston Red Sox look like shit right now.

Sorry. No other way to state it now.

They aren't hitting, they aren't pitching. They aren't catching the ball well. And dropping home games to one of your division rivals isn't helping matters any, and it doesn't matter what the calendar says. They are now 1-5 at home against New York and Tampa Bay.

I'm not going to sum up the latest disastrous team performance on Sunday, other than I thought last Thursday afternoon in Minnesota was bad, but what they did today was in front of their home fans who paid good money to witness it.

The Rays are hungry, no doubt about it. And they are showing why many think they are a playoff team this weekend. They pitch, hit and run very well.

The Red Sox look old, slow, lethargic. Almost like a team playing out the string in late September. They can't buy a hit when it matters. They are digging themselves an early season hole they may have a lot of trouble climbing out of.

Sorry if I sound like one of those fans who thinks the sky is falling, but seeing another embarrassing performance on Sunday really makes me question this team right now. And I don't care if there's 150 games still to play. I pray that the first dozen games are not a portend of things to come. Can the Red Sox turn this around? Of course they can. (They have gotten off to slow starts the last decade, and made the playoffs. So it's far from done.)

It just feels like it's getting late. In the middle of April.

Waste is a Terrible Thing to Mind

Waste, waste, waste.

The Red Sox really seem to know how to do that well. On an awful night in Boston not really fit for man nor beast, they had a golden opportunity to win the completion of the suspended game in the 11th, as they loaded the bases with no outs. (I saw Manny Delcarmen warming for a possible 12th inning, so I thought they BETTER win it here.)

But David Ortiz was coming up. And the bad feelings hit me. Come on, Papi, just a fly ball. Instead, he hit a bouncer to first and a force at home. Then Adrian Beltre grounds into a DP to send it to the 12th. (Extra Bases noted tonight that since Opening Night, the Red Sox have gone 12-for-81 with runners in scoring position, a pitiful .148 average, and they are averaging 3.8 runs per game. They are also winless at home since that night. Yikes.)

The End looms.

MDC gives up a two-run blast to Pat Burrell, a DH who hasn't been hitting his hat size. (Sound familiar?) Say it plain and simple: Delcarmen is a stiff, and maybe playing on another team soon.

It was an historic night, as Ubaldo Jimenez pitched a no-hitter in Atlanta and the Mets won a 20-inning marathon in St. Louis. But the Red Sox were determined to make my life miserable.

Game 2. Mike Cameron muffs a routine fly to center in the first inning that leads to four unearned runs against Clay Buchholz. Should have been a third out and no runs scoring. They also allowed another unearned run on Marco Scutaro's error. (So where exactly is this World's Greatest Defense we've been assured this team has?) Granted the weather was awful, but the Rays played in it too, and didn't make any miscues.

They looked like Dead Team Walking until a pair of two-run shots in the seventh by Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis made it 6-5, Tampa Bay. But the Red Sox went back to their wasteful ways by getting two men on in the eighth with one out and left them there. They went 1-2-3 in the ninth to conclude it.

End of a truly decrepit night at the Fens. The Sox are 4-7. And the Nation is grumbling.

"Red Sox By The Numbers"

If you are a Red Sox fan who enjoys knowing who wore what number and when, then the book for you is "Red Sox By The Numbers."

The Sox have been wearing uniform numbers since 1931 (so the answer to the question, "What number did Babe Ruth wear with the Red Sox?" is "none.") and the book covers each man who wore a number, and the chapters breaks down by every number.

The book is written by Bill Nowlin and Matthew Silverman. I've had the pleasure of meeting Bill at Fenway Park last year, and he has written many terrific books about the team. 17 to be exact. (He is also a founder of Rounder Records, the great roots label.) Matthew Silverman also wrote the book "Mets By The Numbers."

The research for the book was very thorough, as the authors used many resources to get even the most obscure Red Sox players nailed down. Each chapter has a a section called "the most obscure Red Sox player" to wear that particular number.

The book also has a lot of good humor, and it also lists every player to wear that number, including managers and coaches. And it will have many facts you've probably never known. Such as: "Who were Johnny Peacock and Lou Finney?" They were the two players who wore number 9 in 1944 while Ted Williams was away in World War II. (I'm still amazed the Sox gave away the numbers for players, especially Ted, who away fighting in the war.) Or: "Who wore number 8 before Carl Yastrzemski?" That would be the immortal Ed Sadowski. (Yep, him.)

There's an interesting interview with Joe Cochran, the clubhouse man who gives out the Red Sox numbers. And the authors also chatted with every player from the 2009 Sox about why they wear the numbers they do.

The Sox have issued 74 numbers to over 1,500 players. And just about all of them are covered. Bill Nowlin and Matthew Silverman have done a tremendous job bringing even the most obscure Red Sox players some fame in a very interesting book. (It is currently available. Click the following link to go to amazon.com.)

I highly recommend "Red Sox By The Numbers." I also enjoyed the first line from the press release the publishing company, Skyhorse Publishing, who sent me with the book: "If you hate the Yankees and your favorite number is 2004, then this book is for you!"

It sure was for me.

Continuation

When I was a kid playing punchball and stickball in Brooklyn, we'd play for hours on end, until our parents would call us in for dinner. When we had to stop in the middle of a game, someone would call out, "continuation." We'd get together again and pick it up from where we left off.

It was Mother Nature who called out "continuation" at Fenway Park last night, as the rain came down and wouldn't let up. By the ninth inning the tarp rolled out as the game was tied 1-1, and you knew they wouldn't get it going again.

So they will pick up from where they left off at 7 PM tonight in the bottom of the ninth.

The game really should have ended with a Red Sox win. Red Sox fans now know the name of third base coach Tim Bogar, because for whatever reason, he sent in Kevin Youkilis all the way from first on David Ortiz' double in the fifth with nobody out, and the Rays gunned him down. And naturally, the Red Sox didn't score in that inning.

Their only run of the night was an opposite field home run by Jason Varitek.

Josh Beckett was terrific and deserved a win. He went seven strong innings, struck out eight and was victimized by some shoddy defense that allowed Tampa Bay's only run. A Marco Scutaro error and Adrian Beltre losing a chopper in the lights (you don't see that every night) got them their run in the third.

Last night's suspended game was the first one for the Red Sox since 1996, and the first ever for Tampa Bay. They will try to finish the game tonight before the regularly scheduled one, but the forecast is for even more rain.

Lots of Pain

Physical for Mike Cameron (possible kidney stone), and Jacoby Ellsbury (rib injury); and for David Ortiz (being sued by rapper Jay-Z). The Red Sox may have to make a roster move today, and either Ellsbury or Cameron might be looking at a trip to the DL.

At least Daisuke Matsuzaka is making progress at AAA.

Congratulations to former Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills on his first win as a manager with the Houston Astros. Glad to see a good baseball man like him get his shot as a manager. They are now 1-8. Good luck, Brad.

Josh Beckett vs. Wade Davis at 7:05 PM. Hopefully the weather holds at Fenway.

Think Positive: It Was a 3-3 Road Trip

Well, the best thing that can be said for Thursday afternoon's matinee was that it won't be a game you'll look back on and say the Red Sox should have won.

The Sox threatened in the first two innings against Francisco Liriano and came away with nothing. I had a feeling it was going to be a long day. (Actually the game finished in a little more than 2 1/2 hours.)

Tim Wakefield looked pretty decent for the first four innings before the wheels fell off in the fifth and he allowed three runs, and it was 4-0 Twins.

Red Sox didn't hit, didn't pitch well, and looked sloppy in the field. (Why does Victor Martinez insist on throwing down to second base to try and nail a runner when there is a fast man on third who then practically walked in and scored? He's now done that twice this year.)

A garbage can game for sure, an uninspiring 8-0 loss. Move on. Bring on the Rays.

An Odd Coincidence

I heard last night that Pete Steele, the lead singer of the bands Type O Negative and Carnivore, died of heart failure at the age of 48.

I can't say I ever really been a fan of the bands, or goth rock or hardcore in general. But I was shocked to see he was born in Brooklyn, New York on January 4, 1962.

That's because I was born on the same day in the same place.

My sister remembers he lived in my neighborhood years ago, and that drove a crazy-looking purple and black car. I think would have remembered that, and the fact that he was 6'7'' as well.

No, I can't recall Pete Steele and I meeting. But it would have been something if he and I had crossed paths. We definitely had something in common.

He also once turned up on "The Jerry Springer Show" back in the mid-1990s on a show about groupies:



I close this post with a quote from Mr. Steele from his Wikipedia page, on his recent return to his Roman Catholic roots:

“There are no atheists in foxholes, they say, and I was a foxhole atheist for a long time. But after going through a midlife crisis and having many things change very quickly, it made me realize my mortality. And when you start to think about death, you start to think about what’s after it. And then you start hoping there is a God. For me, it’s a frightening thought to go nowhere. I also can’t believe that people like Stalin and Hitler are gonna go to the same place as Mother Teresa.”

My sympathies to his family, friends and fans.