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June 12, 2007
CHANGES? The Red Sox get back to work tonight after their first day off in two weeks, and Steven Krasner wonders if they'll have a new leadoff hitter when they resume play against Colorado. (projo.com) But the Boston Herald's Jeff Horrigan thinks change isn't necessary in the bullpen, saying the Sox' relief work has been stellar.
THE ROAD NOT TAKEN: The arrival of Todd Helton at Fenway Park prompts a look at the trade that wasn't made last winter in both Denver (Denver Post) and Boston (Boston Globe)
STAYING PUT: Jon Lester will remain in Pawtucket, at least for a little while longer, which is good news for the PawSox, anyway. They got more good news last night when George Kotteras' walk-off homer gave them a win over Ottawa. (Both stories projo.com)
TAKE A LESSON FROM G38: Despite his May 29 proclamation that ''This blog is off and running,'' Kevin Youkilis has yet to make a second posting.
TREND OR TEASE? That's what Peter Abraham tries to figure out as he looks at several red-hot Yankees. (yankees.lohudblogs.com)
REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU . . . about 1978 replacing 1918 as Yankee Universe's taunt of choice? Guess what? (New York Daily News)
EXCITABLE BOY: Our old friend Lou DiLullo buries the meter on the giddiness scale in his latest edition of Louie's Lines (yankeetradition.com). In a nutshell: He basically considers the Yanks' home sweep of the 26-37 Pittsburgh Pirates as the greatest achievement in the history of professional baseball and, flush with the three straight wins over the 27-33 Chicago White Sox that preceded it, decides to flood Red Sox Nation with gasoline and then light a match:
The Yankees have shaved 5-games off Boston's season high 14 1/2 game lead in a short time. Though the majority of New Englanders don't want to read about it on this site, all I can say is, ''Can you say 1978?'' Folks, it's going to happen, you can just feel it. I'm telling you, there is nothing more enjoyable than seeing a Boston 14 1/2 game lead dwindle during the summer. Forget 1998. Coming from behind like this is so much more enjoyable. New England is going to be very damp during the next few months from the sweat of ''Red Sox Nation'' hearing the Yankees footsteps!
Ah, Lou. Life will be so dull without you.
IT ISN'T JUST THE FANS TALKING LIKE THIS: Murray Chass is also dreaming those 1978 dreams. And his subsequent protestations that he is neither a Red Sox hater or a Yankee fan will do nothing to dissuade those in Red Sox Nation who already believe Murray has his own anti-Sox agenda.
WHAT ARE YOU GETTING ALL WORKED UP OVER? Newsday's Wallace Matthews says the Yankees haven't won anything with Alex Rodriguez, aren't likely to, and would be better spending money ticketed to A-Rod for pitching.
PERSPECTIVE: Larry Mahnken points out that the Yankees' recent win streak has put them back exactly where they were on May 25, which is ''cause for optimism, but it’s not cause for celebration yet.'' (www.replacementlevel.com) ''All that’s really happened in the standings is that Boston cut 16 games off their magic number,'' he adds. Are you listening, Lou?
Foolish question. I'm sorry. I don't even know why I ask.
REAL PERSPECTIVE: The New York Post's Michael Morrissey says the road ahead -- three games with the Diamondbacks, three with the Mets -- should be a lot tougher than the road just taken.
HE GONE: The White Sox' Joe Crede -- once described by announcer Hawk Harrelson as ''the best third baseman I've ever seen,'' even though Harrelson's seen Brooks Robinson and Mike Schmidt and George Brett and many others whose names don't exactly invite comparisons to Joe Crede -- will undergo back surgery this morning and miss the rest of the year.
HE GONE, TWO: Eric Milton is undergoing Tommy John Surgery. (cincinnati.com blogs)
HE GONE, THREE: Freddy Garcia's season is probably over. (Philadelphia Daily News)
HE MAY BE GONE: The Reds have placed Adam Dunn on the trading block (sportsillustrated.com)
HE BACK: Prince Fielder is returning home, sort of. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
THE WINNER IS . . . Ray Ratto. In The ''Obligatory Sopranos Reference'' category, he says the Giants are flatter than Phil Leotardo's head. (San Francisco Chronicle)
WHISPERS: The Twins may be interested in Tampa Bay's Ty Wigginton (Minneapolis Star-Tribune) . . . The Braves are eyeing Torri Hunter as a replacement for Andruw Jones if he departs (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Aaron Rowand and the White Sox are dreamy-eyed for each other (Chicago Sun-Times) . . .
LOCAL BOYS: Rocco Baldelli, recuperating from his latest hamstring injury, played in an extended spring-training game and had a ''very encouraging'' day according to Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon. (Tampa Tribune)
OLD FRIENDS: Nomar Garciaparra is struggling in Los Angeles (Riverside Press-Enterprise) . . . Rotoworld.com reports that Trot Nixon, who hasn't hit a home run since May 1, has seen his average dip from .338 on May 7 to .251 today and wonders if the Indians are ''nearing the point at which [they] may decide to give some of his at-bats to Jason Michaels or Franklin Gutierrez.'' The Beacon-Journal's Terry Pluto, though, lauds Nixon's clubhouse presence at the bottom of a recent notes column. Somewhere, an SOSH poster named Smiling Joe Hesketh is fuming . . . The Mariners have placed Chris Reitsma on the disabled list (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) . . . The endless rehab of Wade Miller continues (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Dave O'Brien is enthralled with Willie Harris . . . Lenny DiNardo continues to pitch well in Oakland, and says his time in Boston probably helped him adjust to the pressure of the big leagues. ''[Every] pitch there was like the last game of the World Series,'' he said. (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . The normally affable Orlando Cabrera blew a gasket in the clubhouse after the Angels lost to the Cardinals Sunday. (dailybreeze.com)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone 
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