The Rage: One Step Further

Done.

I am done with you, Jon Lester. And you, Josh Beckett. You self important assholes.

I harbor no more love for you, Dustin Pedroia. You don't even deserve the honor of a stupid nickname any more.

Jacoby Ellsbury. Adrian Gonzales. What more important things did you have to do?

Our ENTIRE outfield! Not a SINGLE ONE of you could bother? The ENTIRE infield? Were you too busy getting spiffed up for the Beckett Bowl?

I am so disgusted. I don't care what's going on with the team. I don't care that you had a charity event to go to THAT NIGHT. I don't even care if you don't like funerals. You entitled little crybabies should have shut up, put on a suit, and gone to Pesky's funeral.

It disgusts me enough that they allowed all of you to wear his number. You couldn't be bothered to win a single game that you played in his honor. You couldn't bother to show up for the games that coincided with the Jimmy Fund Telethon. You. Didn't. Try.

Big Papi, Amadeus (who, by the way, managed attendance at both events), Dahmer, and Padilla... thank you. Thank you for being professionals, and good people, and showing up to a funeral that most people in New England would have loved to have been able to attend.

As for the rest of you? You're dead to me. You are not men.

It's going to be a quiet night at the ballpark for me tonight.

Babies In The Dugout: Anger In My Heart

It is becoming increasingly hard for me to separate my love for the Red Sox with my hatred of the players on this team. I'm not being reactionary. Not a single one of them deserves to wear that uniform.

I hate buying into what the media tells me to think about these guys. Really, I do. But with the reports that seventeen players had a meeting with ownership behind Bobby's back, I'm done supporting the players. They make me angry. A bunch of whiny, overindulged babies who don't like that the manager has expectations for them? Aw, poor them. Hey, I didn't like that Bobby left Jon Lester out that night to get pounded either (mostly because he was making the game unenjoyable for me), but it's Lester's goddamn JOB to pitch, and when we have no one left in the bullpen, either take your lumps or PITCH BETTER.

I feel no sympathy for them. I have no respect for them. And the ownership that allows them to be crybabies is just as bad. Let me clarify - I don't have anything against the ownership. For as long as they've been in charge, things have seemed pretty good around Fenway. I think they made the wrong decision to hire Bobby in the offseason, but once you hire him, he's your guy. Support him, and see to it that the employees under him don't feel like they have power to veto him. He's a manager. The fact that they didn't let him manage if a failure on their part, and they have to be held accountable for the millionaire monsters they've created.

We wanted these guys to win one for Pesky? Please, I don't even want them associated with the name Johnny Pesky. Their entitled bullshit attitudes are the opposite of everything Pesky stood for. There is no honor in having these guys win a game for a person that they didn't even deserve to be around.

Yup, I'm talking to all of them - Beckett, Lester, Pedroia, Ellsbury, Gonzalez... You name 'em, I'm disgusted by them. There is no leadership among the players. Or if there is, the only thing that's being led is a  march up to the owner's office to whine that Bobby made them feel bad. Suck it up, you jackasses. You don't want to play for Bobby? Too goddamn bad. It's not your decision. You signed your name to those contracts and it's your RESPONSIBILITY to earn that money.

This season has been painful. That game last night? Hideous. I have no good good things to say about the team. I have no happy or warm feelings about any of the games on the rest of the schedule. And it kills me to say that I don't like this team, because I truly and honestly did like them at the beginning of the season. But they have no heart, no fight, no desire. A new manager isn't going to change that. We got a new manager. Remember, they managed to get Tito fired and it didn't improve their desire to win at all. The change has to come from ownership. The next time they get a text message crying that Bobby hurt someone's feelings, instead of calling a meeting to let the players cry, they should tell them to take their frustrations out in the work out room and the batting cages.

That being said, I'm still in it. And unlike a lot of people I know, I want them to win. I just don't think they will. So go Sox.... you've got a month and a half left. Start earning your paychecks.

And the baseball world gets a little smaller

Earlier this season, we lost the voice of Fenway when Carl Beane died.

Yesterday, we lost the heart of the Red Sox with the passing of Johnny Pesky.

Despite knowing that he couldn't possibly live forever, I didn't think the end would come this soon. My heart is broken. I'm sure many, many people can relate when I say I felt like Johnny Pesky was my grandfather.

Johnny always had a minute to spare for anyone who wanted one. I met him on a few occasions, and he was always wonderful and accommodating. Johnny once said that his autograph was worth about ten cents, and maybe he's right about that. The autograph may be worth ten cents, but the experience of getting to talk to him for even two minutes was priceless.

I cried when I heard. I always wondered what I would do when Johnny passed away. I didn't expect that the answer would be 'bawl like a giant baby and mess up dinner because I just couldn't properly roll arancini through my grief.' Dinner came out ok despite my inability to roll risotto, but it tasted sad. If you can taste the love put into a meal, you can taste the sadness behind it as well.

My boyfriend laughed at me last night. Maybe he was right to. I probably looked ridiculous sitting on the couch, clutching a tissue, with tears rolling down my cheeks as I watched the NESN special on Johnny. He said he didn't understand why I was getting so upset over the death of someone I didn't even know. I told him he didn't have to understand, he just had to accept.

It eases my grief a little that the last game Johnny attended was a win. Also knowing that he got to play such a prominent part in both the 100th anniversary celebration, Opening Day, and the World Series victories. I am thankful that the Red Sox officially declared the right field pole "Pesky's Pole" and retired his old number 6 while he was still around to see it. I don't think anyone loved the Red Sox, Fenway, or baseball more than Johnny Pesky, and now no one can ever separate Fenway and Johnny. His name, his fingerprints, his stories are all over that park.

Johnny, if there is a ball park in the afterlife, I honestly hope to see you there. And if I do, I suspect that you will be sitting in a folding chair, signing autographs and telling stories. Rest in peace, dear man. You are loved and missed.

The Magical Journey To Over .500: A Mission Squarely In Doubront's Hands

For the first time in about a month, the Sox have the opportunity to go above .500. They have reached the .500 mark on a couple of occasions, but have never been able to crack the mediocre mark.

With the team on a bit of a hot streak, they have their best chance yet to get there. The mission is in Felix Doubront's left hand. Felix has already gotten us to one big checkpoint this season... he was able to secure the first win of the season. I have plenty of faith in this kid to pull out a win tonight.

But if he doesn't, it's ok. Because  it's just one of those seasons, and we just have to accept it. All the luck in the world to you tonight, Felix. But no pressure.

Hell, we've seen that even if he pitches as badly as Dahmer (who again gave up five runs) the offense seems to be awake enough to back him up. I guess my main advice is try not to give up more than five runs, and we may be fine.

With the way this team is going, it's definitely going to be an interesting summer.

Sox Outfielders: Obviously Endangered

I don't know what's going on beyond the diamond, but the job of "Red Sox outfielder" has quickly become one of the most hazardous jobs in the market.

The latest addition to the quickly-growing list of injured outfielders is Cody Ross.... which really, truly sucks. I like Cody Ross, and he's been coming up with key hits for the team. Now he's out about eight weeks with a broken foot, and we are beyond replacements-for-replacement level players. We're at replacements-for-the-replacements-of-replacement level players. It's getting scary.

I know I've asked before, but can we please keep this team in bubble wrap when not in use? Seriously now! We've got three outfielders on the 60-day DL. Pretzels, Crawford, and  Ryan Kalish may be back this season, but we'll see what happens. Neither Ellsbury or Crawford have even begun baseball activities as far as I know.

McDonald, Repko (remember him?) and Ross are only on the 15 day DL, but again, it remains to be seen what will happen.

Red Sox... bubble wrap and duct tape. That's all you need. Get on it.

Leaving Time: Updated For All The Suck

If you've read this blog long enough, you'll know that my best friend and I have what we call the "Lackey Limit." It began last year after a string of incredibly terrible Mudpie starts. Basically, the Lackey Limit is a rule that states if John Lackey has given up 8 or more runs in 4 or fewer innings, we leave the park, go to Game On, and consume mass amounts of alcohol to destroy all memories of the game before they become permanent. Believe it or not, we left several of his starts last year for just that reason.

After the pretty horrific continuation of baseball this season, I've decided that the other pitchers all need similar rules. It's only fair, right? Assume that all of these rules end with "and then we go to Game On to get smashed."

The Beckett Break Point: Whichever comes first, four home runs or six runs in three innings or less.
The Lester Let-Down: If Jon Lester has thrown 90 pitches in two innings, it's not going to get better.
The Buchholz Booze Time: Any time Clay Buchholz steps on the mound.
The Doubront Departure: If Felix steps to the mound and has that look of abject horror on his face and then allows eight runs or more in four innings or less.
The Bard Back-Out: If Daniel has walked eight or more batters in any point of the game.

For the record, I want to sign Oswalt so we can have the Oswalt Opt-Out.
We could also have the Cook Cop-Out.
The Dice-K Dash Away.

You name the pitcher, I can make up a limit for how much of said pitcher I can take.

Dear Sox Fans: You Suck

I'm ashamed of you, Red Sox Nation. I truly am. I sat in that wind-blown, cold park last night watching Beckett and the boys suck, just like the rest of you. I groaned every time he gave up a run. And I did plenty of booing...

Johnny Damon. I booed Johnny Damon and ONLY Johnny Damon. Because he is no longer on the Sox, and no longer allowed to be loved in Boston. (Love him if you want, but he's a lying traitor and I will never cheer for him again)

At a time where the team is struggling as bad as we've seen in a very long time, I assumed that the only people coming out to the park were there to actually support the team. I was wrong. When Beckett walked off the field to that chorus of boos, I was ashamed for my fellow fans. Ashamed.

Yeah, he sucked. Yes, there have been lots of reports about what a terrible soul-stealing cancer he is and how he is secretly plotting to take over the world or something like that. He's terrible. He needs to be traded a league in Antarctica far far from civilized people so his terrible attitude and love for beer and chicken can never torment anyone again, right? Whatever. You know what, if the Sox do end up trading Beckett and he goes on to pitch well for another team, I'm sure the same people who are booing him now will ask why we always get rid of our good players.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but what good does booing do? You get to tell the team you disapprove of their play, right? Awesome. So they're unhappy that they're playing poorly, and you're unhappy that they're playing poorly, and instead of trying to change, everyone will just wallow in the misery. Fine. Boo whoever you want. I'm still going to cheer for my team, and I'm still going to be ashamed of all you boo birds. Do me a favor and just don't come out to the park if you hate the team or individual players so much. You're making hard for the people like me who want to support them.

After all, isn't that why you GO to the park?

Shame on all of you who booed last night.