12/21/24
October 14, 2003
Wells and Rivera shut down the Sox: Karim Garcia seems to have shaken off any aftereffects of the controversy to drive in two runs, while the pitching stood up to a strangely quiet Boston batting order.
posted by billsaysthis to baseball at 06:33 PM - 45 comments
Charming.
posted by taupe at 07:04 PM on October 14, 2003
The sox have to feel lucky to even be going to a sixth game. Martinez isn't the lock he's been in the past, and Nomar has vanished. Well's is a good pitcher, hardly great. But right now I don't think it matters who the yankees pitch.
posted by justgary at 07:09 PM on October 14, 2003
It's really the anemic Red Sox hitting. Which is odd; you'd have expected the pitching to be the problem. Nomar's slumping, Mueller's slumping, Ortiz is slumping, Millar's slumping, and Ramirez is flirting with the whole idea of slumping. Very sad, at least if you happen to live in Boston.
posted by Bryant at 07:21 PM on October 14, 2003
I was sure this was going to be a seven-game series. Now, not so much.
posted by Samsonov14 at 07:37 PM on October 14, 2003
kind of unrelated, but i've wanted to ask for a while. jbou, how old are you?
posted by jerseygirl at 07:46 PM on October 14, 2003
and i'm not being snarky, i'm genuinely curious.
posted by jerseygirl at 07:47 PM on October 14, 2003
Well, I now officially can't stand either of these teams - Pedro and Manny didn't answer any questions about their behaviour in game 3 - This cowboy up crap makes me sick (They have done nothing of the sort - short of it being some yee-haw war reference) - and I can't stand the Yankees and their smug superiority. Do they go with Wakefield again? All said though - bring on game seven.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 08:04 PM on October 14, 2003
Right now, I'd almost say you HAVE to go with Wakefield in Game 6. He's a knuckler, he can absolutely pitch, and I'm sorry- Burkett's feelings or some nonsense about "confidence" don't matter! The fact is he's not been very good for them, regular or post-season, and the Yankees have to show in at least one inning they can hit Wakefield. They've scored all of 1 run off of him in 13 innings; I say start the guy, and have Burkett and Suppan warmed up in case it goes badly, or if Wakefield tires early. Grady Little won't have that sense, because he's kind of- let's be honest- dumb. Dumb in a Forrest Gump, Sling Blade, kind of way. :) Boston is still in this, and winning two is hardly a monumental task- especially if you just focus on winning game 6, and let Game 7 happen as it may. But if Game 6's hitting is like the first 10 games of the postseason... ugh. A Boston lineup hitting like it's capable would tear Petitte, or anybody, apart. I think this is one of those "If Boston wins tomorrow, they win the series" situations. This reminds me painfully of the 2001 Mariners, also losing to the Yankees (and their gloating fair weather fans like jbou). A great team that just seemed to forget how to play (and don't give me any mystique crap- there's nothing special about it).
posted by hincandenza at 08:34 PM on October 14, 2003
I like the way you pitch. Mmm-hmm.
posted by Samsonov14 at 08:41 PM on October 14, 2003
Red Sox hit the way they can, they can win behind Burkett. They hit the way they've been hitting, they don't win behind anyone. 'Cept maybe Mark Prior. Go with Burkett. I was worried about Burkett in the Oakland series, and he did just fine. He'll be OK here, or he won't, but either way it's the bats which will decide this. I'm just heartsick right now.
posted by Bryant at 09:13 PM on October 14, 2003
Samsonov — the funniest post of the day. You pitch Burkett tomorrow. You throw him for five innings and pray. Then you try to slog through the bullpen and get to Game 7, where you throw Wakefield and everything you have left. Unfortunately ... I don't think there's going to be a Game 7.
posted by wfrazerjr at 09:49 PM on October 14, 2003
Maybe not Mark Prior, either. Would I be right in assuming Clemens would pitch in the unlikely event of a Game 7? Because that would highlight the worst possible aspect of the Yankees winning in six -- Clemens would then be free to pitch games 2 and 6, and never have to enter a batter's box again in his life.
posted by taupe at 09:55 PM on October 14, 2003
Dammit, the Cubs *had* that game, then it slipped away! Who say there is no curse? God, the fucking heartbreak is that "Black Wednesday" as it may some day be referred to, could potentially see the Sox eliminated in game 6 and the Cubs eliminated in game 7, both on the same day- the hearts of two loyal baseball fandoms crushed within mere hours of each other. Or, it could see the Cubs go to the WS and the Sox force a game 7. But I'll bet that both don't happen, and one of the teams is eliminated tomorrow- ending the dream of a Cubs-Sox WS.
posted by hincandenza at 12:44 AM on October 15, 2003
I will be surprised if the Cubs and the Sox aren't eliminated tomorrow. I'm rooting for them both, but the Cubs just flat-out blew it tonight and the Sox did not take advantage of their chances to win today.
posted by kirkaracha at 01:13 AM on October 15, 2003
uh, Hal, I've been a Yankee fan since I could walk. I lived through the Steve Kemp years, and all the other failed King George signings. Petitte is going to money just like Wells was, and the Yanks will send the Sox back to Beantown crying, let the suffering continue, lol!
posted by jbou at 06:28 AM on October 15, 2003
Who say there is no curse? The Cubs are cursed -- with a bad manager. The difference in that game is that Jack McKeon had a quick hook for Pavano and Dusty Baker hung Prior out to dry. A lot of managers would've pulled him after the first hard-hit ball in that inning.
posted by rcade at 06:41 AM on October 15, 2003
Pitch Burkett with a quick hook. If the Sox can't get to Pettite, the Sox pitcher matters not. Too bad this shitty weather couldn't travel south.
posted by yerfatma at 07:55 AM on October 15, 2003
I have to counter the negativity. Red Sox get to Pettitte early (again) and this time they don't run Kapler for a DP, this time they don't strand 5 in 2 innings and this this time they come away with 3 or 4 runs. Burkett pitches like he pitched Oakland and not like he pitched the regular season (especially against the Yankees). All is well and there's a game 7 with Pedro/Wake making up for the previous debacle. I mean, why hang out to watch the game, if I don't think my team can do it?
posted by kokaku at 09:06 AM on October 15, 2003
Burkett actually had one good game against the Yankees this season. Take yourself back to July 26th. He went 5 innings, allowing no hits and three walks -- not a bad performance.
posted by Bryant at 09:12 AM on October 15, 2003
Much as I killed him all year, Burkett had a number of good games in the second half. All the same, the Red Sox are trying to teach you some Zen: only in nothingness, only in freeing yourself from desire will we get what we want. Kinda weird. Beats thinking about Karim Garcia.
posted by yerfatma at 09:34 AM on October 15, 2003
the Red Sox are trying to teach you some Zen: only in nothingness, only in freeing yourself from desire will we get what we want. thanks. i like that. last night, i started freeing myself of wanting the big dance for them, for us. i am starting the grieving process at this point. (stun, anger, denial, sadness, anger, sleeplessness, denial, confusion, dry mouth, anger, sadness, anger, sadness, yawn, more confusion, anger, mope, waking up pissed off, mope, anger, sadness, denial, trying to laugh through the tears, anger). i am still on the wagon. but to preserve my sanity, i just am coming to terms with the fact that the wagon could be going off a rocky cliff tonight and landing in a fiery explosion of novelty cowboy hats and shattered dreams. christ, i am going to hope and pray all day today that they prove me wrong tonight, though.
posted by jerseygirl at 10:13 AM on October 15, 2003
Well, I'm not ready to eulogize them yet (I think the attempted reverse psychology is bad luck), but any Sox fan needing a pick-me-up need look no further.
posted by yerfatma at 11:36 AM on October 15, 2003
Thanks, yerfatma - A's fans everywhere are thanking you for making us relive that moment.
posted by dusted at 11:55 AM on October 15, 2003
Assclownery notwithstanding, the elimination of the Cubs and Sox today, and a Yankees sweep of the Marlins, is precisely what I'm going to be rooting for (from a distance, while not watching). It's the outcome that will send Fox's ratings into the toilet and smother baseball's post-1994 fan revival, which is nothing more than those two institutions deserve.
posted by taupe at 11:56 AM on October 15, 2003
While you accuratley hit on Fox's rating problems...the only thing that will save us from their telecast is 2006, when their contract runs out.
posted by YukonGold at 12:17 PM on October 15, 2003
Know what'd help Fox? Coming back on time. Someday when my children ask, "Where were you when Manny hit his home run in Game 5 daddy," I'll look at them and say, "Watching a fucking commercial on Fox. Go bother your mother. Wherever she lives."
posted by yerfatma at 12:21 PM on October 15, 2003
I'm all for putting Fox's ratings in the toilet. Then maybe they won't renew their contract and we won't have to listen to Joe Buck. Aren't people forgetting that Burkett's postseason ERA in that one game is 6.75? Sure, they won, but it wasn't on account of him. And that against the Yankees this year his ERA was 3.29? Just want to squash the misinformation. People who are expecting any team to hit like they did in the regular season are bound to be disappointed. In October, 3 runs becomes enough to win games, and .200 is a good average. Sox fans need to stop jumping on Nomar and the anemic offense. It's to be expected. They're facing top caliber pitching, you get no days off against NY and Oakland. No Jeff Weaver. And the Yankees pitchers generally step it up in the post season too. The Yankee offense is pretty pathetic this year to, aside from that one big inning in Minnesota. I'm worried that Burkett will be his usual self but that they won't be able to capitalize. I do NOT want this series to go to 7. I was rooting against the Cubs because I don't like them and fear their pitching, but now I have to root for them, they just can't lose after last night, that would be horrible.
posted by Bernreuther at 12:23 PM on October 15, 2003
Then maybe they won't renew their contract and we won't have to listen to Joe Buck. what about McCarver? He calls people by the wrong name and then doesn't correct himself, he just keeps doing it. You have to wonder if Buck just looks over at him like, "Jesus man, the lineup is right in front of you." Christ, I am really really sorry I bitched about Joe Morgan. McCarver, have you met Jason Varitek? He's not Kevin Millar, like you said Monday night when he got stuck between bases, and he sure as hell isn't David Wells like you called him last night. Varitek takes a pitch, asks the ump about it. Ump explains, Varitek nods and accepts it. McCarver, captain of the good ship Obvious, then says, "see Wells is a good catcher there. He knows he has to get behind the plate again in the next inning and deal with that ump."
posted by jerseygirl at 12:39 PM on October 15, 2003
My favorite McCarver moments last night were in the 8th and 9th (paraphrased, of course) "the Red Sox best chance for a hit here is a broken bat single" and "Rivera's so good because he walks with such grace to the mound". What's so awesome about the broken bat comment was that it sounded like something he would have put a sign on for if he were the manager...not just some extra ball washing for Rivera.
posted by YukonGold at 12:58 PM on October 15, 2003
Sorry, Buck was just shorthand for "the entire fox payroll". Let's break it down: Buck - decent at football, probably OK without McCarver, goofs off too much with McCarver McCarver - senile idiot, Yankee homer, total moron Bret Boone - seems to be goofing off and brings nothing to the table Kenny Albert on the field - moron with annoying voice who got into the business entirely because of his father (NL:) Thom - sounds too much like Buck Steve Lyons - idiot, goofs off too much, talks too much - feels like he has to overanalyze every single little thing. Al Leiter - talks too much, feels like he has to yell to be heard, doesn't look at the damn camera when he's talking about pitch grips Guy on field - don't know his name but he looks and sounds like he's retarded. All eight of them need to be fired. I'd rather listen to Joe Morgan, Harold Reynolds and Brian McRae together.
posted by Bernreuther at 01:26 PM on October 15, 2003
All eight of them need to be fired. I'd rather listen to Joe Morgan, Harold Reynolds and Brian McRae together. Seems to me that with the on-screen graphics, baseball is reasonably viewable without any sound and you might be happier with a cool playlist off your stereo instead.
posted by billsaysthis at 01:34 PM on October 15, 2003
actually I had been doing that in the ALDS, but I've been at bars for most of these games.
posted by Bernreuther at 03:26 PM on October 15, 2003
Huh, Burkett carried a perfect game into the first.
posted by yerfatma at 03:42 PM on October 15, 2003
the red sox... they're... they're... hitting.
posted by jerseygirl at 04:21 PM on October 15, 2003
you might be happier with a cool playlist off your stereo instead.
I would suggest synching up MLB with Stevie Wonder tunes. There's something about watching Manny Ramirez looking angry (and just plain being Manny) while Stevie sings "I just called to say I love you".
That or Sinatra, because lets face it, you can't go wrong with Frank baby!
posted by lilnemo at 04:30 PM on October 15, 2003
the red sox... they're... they're... hitting.
Perhaps "Frampton comes Alive"?
posted by lilnemo at 04:31 PM on October 15, 2003
you can't go wrong with Frank baby! I couldn't agree more. For example, check out these classics from the Yankee Red Sox ALCS Soundtrack! Zimmer charging Pedro to the tune of "I've Got You Under My Skin" Manny overreacting to the Clemens pitch with "Somethin' Stupid" The groundskeeper getting beaten by Nelson/Garcia with the lovely strains of "I Get a Kick out of You" in the background.
posted by jerseygirl at 04:42 PM on October 15, 2003
... and for the possible Sox/Cubs World Series,
"At Long Last Love"!
posted by lilnemo at 04:47 PM on October 15, 2003
you can't go wrong with Frank baby! Or EWG's Frankenstein! Du du du du du du du du!!!!!!!!
posted by billsaysthis at 05:59 PM on October 15, 2003
They win! They win! Bring on game 7, baybee!!!! Fuck, and I have a goddamn motherfucking product release to do tomorrow... no calling in sick for me! :( Oh, btw- I disagree that Boone brings nothing to the table- I think this idea of current players being in the booth is useful; gives a perspective- lacking in McCarver- of modern players. None of this "In my day, we didn't have wooden bats- we had to swing with our bare hands, and we liked it!" crap you hear from McCarver or Morgan. Boone seems easy to listen to, with coherent sentences and relevent information.
posted by hincandenza at 07:30 PM on October 15, 2003
Yerfatma, I only saw from the 6th inning to the end, but at that point the Ys had a 6-4 lead. Bullpen blew it--WTF was Contreras up to?
posted by billsaysthis at 07:45 PM on October 15, 2003
... wow.
posted by jerseygirl at 07:59 PM on October 15, 2003
Red Sox hit the way they can, they can win behind Burkett. They hit the way they've been hitting, they don't win behind anyone. 'Cept maybe Mark Prior. Maybe not Mark Prior, either. I feel obliged to point out that, in fact, they could have won behind Prior tonight. What a slugfest. Didn't expect that.
posted by Bryant at 09:02 PM on October 15, 2003
Wells was money, just like I said he'd be, lol,lol,lol. Tomorrow Petitte pitches the Yanks into the World Series, and then it's the losers from Chi-town against the best team ever.