And Beckett Makes It Ok Again: Because He Rocks

Even after the mindnumbing 7th inning on Friday, where I was insisting loud enough for anyone to hear that I wouldn't watch the rest of the game... I watched the rest of the game. Actually, I watched all except the top of the 8th. I went and took a shower during the top of the 8th and I felt better. Sometimes, a little hot water is all you need, I guess. What can I say, though? I'm a slave to the Red Sox, and they know I'm always going to come back for more. I'm a baseball addict. It is my nature.

So it is with great pleasure that I can say Josh Beckett rocks. Is there anything in life that Josh can't make me feel better about, merely by throwing a 12 to 6 curve or a 95 mph fastball on the corner? No. There is nothing. In true 'every-other-odd-year' fashion, Josh came out firing on Saturday. Granted, the performance wasn't as good as his Sunday game against the Yankees, but not every game can be THAT good. It was good enough to win Josh his second game of the season, and to afford him the opportunity to turn to Jon Lester and say, "Sorry, I'm taking that ace card back." Did that actually happen? No, but it's fun to pretend, isn't it? So Josh, with his hellfire and brimstone and such, marched out to the mound and didn't come back until he had gone 7 innings of 3-hit, 9 strikeout baseball. The lone run he surrendered, I feel, should not count just on principle alone. Major League Baseball does not agree with me, but I don't care what they think. I've shown before that I'm not above giving imaginary stats to pitchers that I adore.

Also, Lowrider decided at some point that he was going to hit .500 and show Scoots to the bench. It's nothing personal, Marco. We just need some offense, and Jedi is willing to give us some of that, going 3-5 with 2 RBI. Two runs batted in is all Josh needed to continue kicking some bird butt, so.... there's that. Again, Marco, nothing personal, and when this whole mess of a slow start blows over, we're going to welcome you back on the field with open arms (assuming that Jed hits a cold spell). It's all about patience, my friend.

That was pretty much it for highlights. Aside from single RBI's from Ernie and Youk, the offense was still a little sleepy. They're trying to wake up from their long winter's nap, but we all know what it's like to get up from a long nap.... you're groggy, you have no idea what time it is, and you're not sure how you got on the couch. I'm currently operating under the assumption that most of the offense is still on 'not sure how they got on the couch' mode. When they finally shake the cobwebs off, they'll realize that they actually fell asleep on the couch. And by 'the couch,' I mean 'the park'... and by 'fell asleep on,' I mean 'played poorly in.' But you knew that.

My one criticism is the residents of LOB-land. Really, guys? 23 LOB-ers? That's almost a whole team! A team that probably could get a big hit with runners in scoring position! I don't want to focus on the negative when they managed a win, but Dave Madagan? I'm keeping an eye on you, slacker!

And so, Josh Beckett saved my sanity yet again and prepared me to face another day of baseball. Which is good, because there's more happy news to report... in the next post!