Red Sox beat the Yankees

I've been playing that Da Vinci Code Google contest, and one of the puzzle types requires searching Google Video for a clip of the movie on which to answer questions.

So, I decided to try searching Google Video for Red Sox, and this was the very first hit I got.

Red Sox fans celebrate on the Green Line T (subway) in Boston after the Red Sox beat the Yankees in the 2004 playoffs.


And this one brought tears to my eyes!

It's real simple, Sox fans

Would you rather lose one game 15 - 3 or three games 5 - 1? (or five games 3 - 3/5, not sure how a team can score 3/5 of a point, but leave it to the Sox! Maybe some funky Manny Ramirez baserunning mistake that causes a run to lose 2/5 of it's value?)

Let's all just remember that the season is still in its infancy. We've got a solid team, with Crisp coming back in a few weeks.

A little more fodder for Beth's fantasies

Chris Snow wrote a piece in the Globe today about how well Foulke is pitching left-handed hitters this year. Here's an excerpt.

The Sox, meanwhile, began last night without a lefthander in the bullpen.

But the club has discovered a pitcher suited for the role, even if he throws with his right hand.

"[Keith] Foulke's been our lefty, and he's been a pretty good one," manager Terry Francona said before last night's game. "You're dying for that left-on-left guy. He's actually one of the better ones in the game."

The manager and the captain each offered different opinions as to why Foulkie has had so much success against left-handed hitters this season (They're hitting a mere .190 vs .231 for the righties). Francona said:

"Any [pitcher] with a split like [Jonathan] Papelbon or a changeup like Foulke usually has better success against lefthanders . . . Anybody with good offspeed pitches can get lefties out."

Meanwhile, Varitek has a different explanation, offered as a "caveat" by Snow:

Foulke's ability to precisely locate his fastball to both sides of the plate prevents lefties from sitting on his changeup.

An AL East matchup week

This is one of those weeks during the season when four of the five AL East teams are matched up against each other, with the Red Sox pummelling the D-Rays while the Yankees pulled even in their series with the Blue Jays.

To recap, the Sox beat the Devil Rays Tuesday night to help the lackluster Yankees remain within a half-game of the Devil Rays, keeping them poised for their big move OUT OF LAST PLACE Wednesday night and into a tie with the Blue Jay, both playing .500 ball with 7-7 records.

In the meantime, the Orioles have split their series at home against Cleveland, and they maintain sole possession of 2nd place, a full game ahead of Toronto and New York. Baltimore boasts FIVE everyday players currently batting over .300 (three with OBPs over .400!), with the leader being their CATCHER Ramón Hernández.

I've decided to end my (or, more fittingly, your) AL East blog fasting early

At first, I was just lazy, trying to get up the nerve to actually start writing my baseball blog, you know, DURING THE BASEBALL SEASON. Well, with the exception of that little Bronson Arroyo thing on 4/5 . . .

But then, after about a week of the season had passed, I decided to make my delay have a purpose, I decided that I would not post to my blog until Manny finally had his first home run. Well last night he had his first extra-base hit AND his first 3 RBI game. I know, I know, that's pocket change to Man Ram. Hey, I needed an excuse to break my silence.

In the meantime, rookie Jonathan Papelbon has been NAILS on the mound as the Sox closer so far this season, making his 7th save in 7 chances last night, barely!

In the meantime, in my fantasy league I picked up Kevin Youkilis on the waiver wire (All Star possibility?) this past Sunday because some bonehead dropped him (huh, I thought this was a fantasy league full of Sox fans!). Since I already have Berkman playing first quite well, and Youk is eligible at third, I may just be putting A-Rod on the trading block, perhaps for Schilling or Beckett.

In the meantime, Curt Schilling has been nearly as perfect as Mr. Papelbon. In three starts, Curt has given up 4 earned runs, 11 hits, and only 3 walks, while striking out 16. That puts his ERA at 1.64, good enough for third in the AL. Oh, one of the guys tied for first happens to be Josh Beckett. What I love the most about the Sox pitching situation isn't the fact that everyone has either been nails (Papelbon, Schilling, Beckett) or shown sign of greatness (Wakefield, Clement, Timlin), it's that Schilling is playing his mentor role to a TEE!

Bronson Arroyo ties it up!

Just in case no one believes me!