Best Sox Brawlers: Revised

Wicked Good Sports has a list of their top 5 Red Sox brawlers from the past two decades. Everything looks good - Greenwell seems rough enough around the edges; we've spoken many times about how Tavarez was crazy (and even saw him go into full action mode once for no apparent reason); Trot Nixon's "dirt dog" moniker stems as much from his willingness to charge into any fight (particularly against the Rays) as it did from his body-destroying style of outfield defense; but the list falls flat at Rich Garces. Really? El Guapo was the best you guys could come up with out of twenty years of players? I can tell you who jumps to mind as a much better alternative with less than sixty seconds of thought: Tom Brunansky.

In case you're not vigorously nodding your head, here are some points in Bruno's favor:

• The 'Stache. When you're looking for a group of guys to back you up in a fight, you can never go wrong with someone who's got a well-developed lip covering. I'm working on a theory that a good mustache is worth at least six months of training as a boxer.
• Slugging Power. Brunansky won't ever stand out as a phenomenal hitter, but he was certainly someone poured out of the classic slugger mold. Sluggers are big guys, big guys are good to have in a brawl.
• The Nickname. Who would you rather have guarding your back? A guy whose nickname means "The Beautiful One," or a guy whose nickname makes him sound like a mob enforcer?
  

Runner up/sixth man for the team: Gabe Kapler. Ask the Pride of Worcester about the Hebrew Hammer's fighting skills.

Game 64: The Bloom Comes Off the Rose

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 0, Seattle Mariners 8

Bartolo Colon has never gone 4 and 0 to start a season before...

He still hasn't done so.

Of course, to be fair, he would no doubt find it much easier to break that personal record if he hadn't helped commit two of the team's three errors last night; it's surprising how quickly six hits and a walk turns into six runs if you're not careful. So, on the balance, pity pluses to the big man for having a decent pitching line marred by three unearned runs and responsibility minuses for committing two of the errors that caused those runs. Summed up, it makes for a crappy night against a terrible team that's deep into confused mediocrity. And to think: not 18 hours ago a friend and I were wishing we could see yesterday's game in person instead of today.

And what of the offense? Seven hits and not a runner crossing plate? Nine men left on base? Talk about your case of the dry heaves. Playing without Manny, Ortiz, and Ellsbury didn't help, but I was ready to assign the blame to the theory posited by Yankee Mike (through Robin) in yesterday's post - i.e, that the Sox are just playing to the level of their opponents - until I looked at King Felix's splits in Fenway. Already a more than decent pitcher against the Sox - 12 earned runs, almost as many strikeouts as baserunners in 35.1 innings ain't bad at all - Hernandez has yet to give up a run in 15 innings in Fenway. Fifteen innings! Sounds like he should be in a Red Sox uniform when he hits free agency...

Speaking (sort of) of missing players: congrats to the Trot Nixon Seven on their suspensions after the brawl two days ago. None of the results surprise me except for Sean Casey; how does a man known as the Mayor end up making enough of an impression on tape to get suspended for fighting? He must have been sneaking in sucker punches like a madman. You know, kinda like Johnny Gomes.

As I hinted broadly above, I will be at today's game. Since moving to New York coming on five years ago, I've seen the Red Sox on the road at Yankee Stadium, and I've been to Fenway on a tour, but I haven't seen the Red Sox play at home. Needless to say, I'm about as excited as a kid about to see their first baseball game and I've developed an entirely irrational desire for everything to go my way: good weather, easy transportation, interesting ball game, a win. We'll see which things come true, but I'll place most of faith in Tim Wakefield. Go Sox!

2007 ALCS Game 2: Mind Riot

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 6, Cleveland Indians 13

I was crying from my eye teeth and/Bleeding from my soul
And I sharpened my wits on a dead man’s skull

Even though J.D. Drew's first season with the Red Sox has fallen far short of anyone's expectations - witness the OBP and SLG scores, the home run totals, the numbers of hits, all off last year's mark, far short career highs and, at $14.4 million a season, not what Boston paid to see - no one in a logical, rational frame of mind would say that Drew is not an upgrade over Trot Nixon, whose market value might be five times less than Drew, but whose returns on investment - fewer hits, about 150 less plate appearances in 40 fewer games, less power, etc. all in a body a year older and far more banged up - has removed him from consideration as a starting right fielder. Trot Nixon has dirt dogged himself into a veteran utility role, pure and simple.

I built an elevator from his bones/Had climb to the top floor just/To stamp out the coals

We look at the stats and the history and we know all of these things to be true on an intellectual level. The higher courses of our brains reassure us with facts and figures, telling us that while day-to-day baseball is fluky, things eventually trend out to prove the superiority or inferiority of a choice. J.D. Drew is the better right fielder; this is known. But that current of rational thought is just a cheap veneer, cracking and melting away from the pressure of the primitive, emotional parts of the brain that focus all too easily on one thing: when J.D. Drew came up to bat in the eighth inning with a chance to start the third (and final) Red Sox rally, he hit a liner to center field. When Trot Nixon came up in similar situation in the eleventh inning, he hit the single that scored the go-ahead run. "Trot Nixon beat us," we rage, "why isn't he on the Red Sox anymore?"

And the candle was burning yesterday/Like somebody’s friend died
And I‘ve been caught in a mind riot/I’m tied within

Though Nixon's single pierces our mind with its sheer ironic temerity, claiming its place as tonight's unkindest cut of all, it was not the only stab of the night: from Schilling's lackluster line (4.2 innings, nine hits, five runs, two gopher balls) to the return of the Red Scare (two blown saves and a seven run, last nail in the coffin eleventh inning), tonight was a blood-stained affair that Red Sox Nation would rather forget. And you know what? I'm happy to do so, to focus on the positive: Manny and Ortiz remain the Castor and Pollux of the 2007 playoffs, the heart of the order continues to rock the party that rocks the body, and tonight Fausto Carmona's deal with the devil looked like it expired in Cleveland sometime last week. Give tonight a pass, and move on to Cleveland ready to get back on track to victory.

I’m luck’s last match struck/In the pouring down wind

Game 50: Smorgasbord of Delight

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 5, Cleveland Indians 3

Honestly, too many strange/awesome/mind blowing things happened in the win tonight. I have to break ‘em down into categories.

Heart Warming: Trot was back and he got a standing O to end all standing O’s. Hell, this guy got like 5 standing O’s. We love us some Trot Nixon no matter the laundry. Great to see him back in Fenway… I wish your new team sucked more.

About Time: Drew with some extra base hit action with men in scoring position. This looks a lot more like the $70 million guy that was supposed to replace the aforementioned and beloved Nixon. Carry on J.D.

Coming Around Nicely: Little Dusty Pedroia is turning into a very fine contact hitter. He already has his average into the .280’s and is no longer earning my ire daily. Keep this up and I may learn to like you… ya little scamp! Now go fetch me the Globe or I’ll box your ears.

Phew: Rumors of Schill’s demise were greatly exaggerated. Curt brought his K stick and used it 10 times on the Tribe. He only gave up one run in 7 innings and looked better than he has all year. More of this please, Mr. Blog man.

Getting Warmer: Manny is coming out of his coma as the late spring sun burns off the chemicals he puts in his crazy hair. This is bad news for every pitcher in the league that doesn’t like their ERA to match the distance of his homeruns. Not scared pitchers? You will be…

Freaking Weird/Amazing: Youk now has a 20 game hit streak and managed to bash an inside the park home run. That’s right, the bald headed, ogre looking, first baseman child of Moses ran like he stole some Matzo and scored on his own fly to the triangle. Youk isn’t just on fire anymore, he’s burning like a tire dump.

Worried: Papi missed his second game with “hamstring tightness” and I am starting to lose sleep. Are you sure I can't rub those for you Ortiz? I am strong but surprisingly gentle. Hmmm… that sounded straighter in my head.

Relieved/Confused: After a dismal showing by J.C.BB Romero, the rest of the pen stopped the bleeding and held the lead long enough for Paps to come in for the 3rd time in 5 games. He allowed a run (gulp) and had the go ahead runs in scoring position with only one out (double gulp) but SOMEHOW got Blake to swing at a pitch that hit him in the hands (so say the umps) and then got Hafner swinging as I clenched my ass cheeks. Whoa! That was close. Let's win by more runs tomorrow… ok?

One Dirt Dog…To Go.

Another one of the mystical elite 2004 Red Sox squadron has left the fold. Christopher Trotman Nixon will be a Cleveland Indian next year to make way for J.D. Drew (if that deal ever happens and it doesn’t look closer than it did yesterday). So, no longer will we see a dirty, scruffy, hustle machine patrol the area closest to the Pesky Pole. Losing him was inevitable and even with Drew in limbo (how LOW will his contract GO), Trot is too hurt, is too inconsistent and is just a little too easy to replace. Everyone knew this was going to happen.

Trot was one of the most underrated and overrated Sox players of this era. When you think about his play, his gung-ho, gutsy determination is always the first thing comes to mind. This is because it was the best thing he had going for him. Trot was a VERY average player. He never hit 30 homeruns, never got 100 RBI and his career average is below .280. This is a guy who HAD to give his all, because anything less would have been awful.

That being said… who else does that now? Who else puts it all out on the field and leaves nothing in the tank? It’s hard to find many millionaires who are willing to push that hard. Can you imagine if Manny tried as hard as Trot did every single day? He would be batting .400 with 70 homeruns a season. Now I’m not saying other guys don’t work hard… It’s just that Trot was going at 110% all the time.

This leads to another problem. When you burn the candle at both ends like that, it is going to get you hurt and Trot was a walking pile of injuries. He has missed some big chunks of time in almost every season. For a guy who so tough and wants it so bad, it must have killed him to be out with his bad back, hurt knees, busted leg and arm troubles. He defined the wounded warrior, but over all, it probably ended up hurting his numbers.

So is it even a loss statistically to see Trot move on? No. Nope. Not even a little. Drew can put up those numbers no problem. Is it a nostalgic and emotional loss? Yes sir. A HUGE one. Every major league game Trot has played in, he was going full blast, going non stop and wearing a Red Sox uniform. Every single game. That I will miss.

Good luck Mr. Trotski. See you May 28th when you are going to get the biggest round of applause of your life. You earned it.