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October 5, 2007
A ROLL OF THE DICE-K: That's the headline over Sean McAdam's story in this morning's Journal and it perfectly summarizes the Red Sox' feelings on the eve of Game Two. ''The Red Sox know that Daisuke Matsuzaka (above, AP Photo) will start [tonight],'' writes McAdam. ''[But will] it be the one who allowed two runs or fewer in 17 of his 32 starts this season? Or will it be the one who allowed five or more runs in 10 different starts? Will it be the one who struck out seven or more in 17 starts? Or the one who walked three or more in 17 outings? Not even the Red Sox know for sure.'' And if they don't know, you can be sure the Angels don't, either. Steven Krasner gets their feelings as they prepare for their first look at Matsuzaka. Dice-K's opponent tonight will be the rejuvenated Kelvim Escobar; Krasner talked to him, as well.
The answers will start coming at 8:37 p.m., but we'll be cranking out information on this blog long before that. Check back starting in mid-afternoon for all the latest from Fenway. We'll also have in-game updates, and an extensive, online-only postgame report from McAdam, Krasner, Joe McDonald, Jim Donaldson and yours truly, much of which won't make the newspaper due to deadline constraints. So if you're not in the habit of visiting here on weekends, it's worth a trip back tomorrow (and Sunday, and on the holiday on Monday). There'll be a lot to see.
QUIET CONFIDENCE: That was the mood of the day during the workout yesterday at Fenway Park. Find out why, along with many other items, in our Red Sox journal from McAdam, Krasner and Joe McDonald.
DON'T GET TOO CONFIDENT: Writing on SportingNews.com, Tigers (and ex-Red Sox) reliever Todd Jones picks the Angels to win the World Series.
CHANGE OF ROUTINE: Yesterday's day off, after just one game in the series, was the first sign of how different this year's postseason schedule is. McAdam talked to some of the Sox about it; the consensus is it helps the pitchers but hinders the everyday players, who are used to playing . . . well, every day.
PLAYING BY DIFFERENT RULES: McAdam reports the new postseason-roster guidelines -- which dictate that any player removed from a roster due to injury in mid-series is ineligible for the next series, as well -- was one of the factors in the decision to leave Tim Wakefield off the ALDS roster.
MR. MVP: McDonald reports that Mike Lowell has been this season's MVP for the Red Sox, and talks to many of his teammates who tell you why. Even so, none of it is any guarantee he'll be returning next season. What do you think?
MR. PRESIDENT: That's what we'll be calling Jerry Remy from now on, I guess. It's the top of a number of little items in a feature we call Quick Pitch.
MR. CLUTCH: To the Angels, that describes David Ortiz. It's the top note in Krasner's Angels notebook.
CENTER OF ATTENTION: The Boston Globe's Amalie Benjamin profiles Coco Crisp.
CLOSER FOR LIFE: That's what the Globe's Bob Ryan is calling Jonathan Papelbon as he recounts how we got from there (a time in mid-January when Papelbon told Ryan he wanted to be a starter) to here (Paplebon finishing another sterling season in relief and declaring the back of the bullpen is where he always wanted to be).
IN THE ZONE: Terry Francona estimates Red Sox hitters only chased one pitch out of the strike zone Wednesday night. (Boston Herald) That sort of plate discipline impressed him, and he thinks it's an encouraging sign for the rest of the postseason.
SCOUTING REPORT: The blog Fast Balls does a close examination of Eric Gagne's pitching patterns and concludes his ''changeup gets tattooed when he gets it up in the zone against lefties. Also, it does look like the slider is mainly a show-me pitch to righties.''
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE: From our sister publication, the Riverside Press-Enterprise: Beat writer Matt Hurst reports the Angels are putting Vladimir Guerrero back in right field tonight and hope the corresponding lineup changes will jump-start their offense. On the Angels blog, Gregg Patton has an interesting outsider's take on the Boston sports scene.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH: The story of the playoffs -- and maybe the story of the year -- is unfolding in Colorado, where the Rockies, writes the Denver Post's Troy E. Renck, are ruining ''their image as the Little Engine That Could'' as they flattened the Phillies, 10-5, yesterday to take a 2-0 lead in the NLDS. Colorado has now won 16 of its last 17 games and, says Renck, is looking ''more like the 1998 Yankees than the 1969 Mets.'' Even so, the Phils' Jimmy Rollins assures the world that ''no one is panicking'' in the Philadelphia clubhouse. (Philadelphia Inquirer) You should be, responds the Rocky Mountain News' Bernie Lincicome, because you're finished.
PLAY OF THE YEAR: In a move that may make them America's Team during this postseason run, the Rockies players have voted a full playoff share to Amanda Coolbaugh, whose husband, Mike Coolbaugh, was killed when hit by a foul ball while coaching first base for the Rockies' Double-A Tulsa squad on July 22. (mlb.com)
SEIZING THE MOMENT: The Indians, writes the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes, took Kenny Lofton's advise and did just that yesterday as they crushed the Yankees, 12-3, in Game One of their ALDS series. The Yankees, as you'd expect, are talking bravely about it being just one game (New York Daily News); Johnny Damon notes that ''last I saw, we're a pretty good team'' (LoHud Yankees blog; audio included) and, on the same blog, Peter Abraham points out the Yankees have won all five previous ALDS matchups in which they lost the first game. Maybe so, but FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal thinks the Yankees are in trouble.
SAVE US: Now the Yankees turn to old hand Andy Pettitte for Game Two redemption. (New York Daily News) For all the talk about the Yankees' young pitching, the Post's Joel Sherman notes that Joe Torre's job may hang on how the veterans perform in this series.
NOT CAMERA READY: Doug Mientkiewicz was almost knocked out of the game -- and perhaps the series -- by a television camera operator. He was okay, though, and played last night. (New York Daily News)
URBAN LEGEND: Writing for the New York Sun, Steven Goldman says the notion that Alex Rodriguez has been a postseason flop ''is greatly overstated.'' Response from Indians fans: Oh yeah? (New York Post)
THE NAME GAME: Chien-Ming Wang was hammered by the Indians, and was dubbed Chien-Ming Gong by the New York Post's George King. Colleague Mike Puma's insult of choice: Chien-Ming Wrong.
EIGHTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO . . . Maine's Stanley Mudge switched allegiances from the Red Sox to the Yankees because Boston sold Babe Ruth to New York. He's still rooting for the Yanks at age 93, though -- in true, "Why, in my day . . . '' fashion -- it doesn't sound like he has much use for any of the modern players no matter which team they're on.
PAY UP: That's what the Yankees are trying to get New York taxpayers to do for souvenirs and bar tabs during the 2005 playoffs. (New York Post)
WE ARE! The Daily News reports that New York fans are gobbling up Yankee merchandise, while sales of Mets item have all but stopped.
AND SPEAKING OF YANKEE FANS . . . they count LeBron James as one of them . . . much to the consternation of folks in Cleveland. (AP via SI.com)
JOY AND MISERY: It's joy for the Diamondbacks, who took a 2-0 lead in their NLDS series by beating the Cubs, 8-4. (Arizona Republic) It's misery for the Cubs, who, says the Chicago Sun-Times' Jay Mariotti, are ''buckling under the pressure of more variables than they can handle.'' Adds Mariotti: ''[Nothing] -- and I mean nothing -- would be more humiliating than to lose a playoff series as pathetically as the Cubs are losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks. To call this a choke job would be an insult to stranglers everywhere.''
STAYING PUT? Speculation has been rampant all year that Tony La Russa will be leaving the Cardinals, but FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says it ain't necessarily so.
OPINION TIME: The Baltimore Sun's Roch Kubato thinks the Orioles should make a run at Andruw Jones . . . The Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant doesn't believe the Rangers will offer the injured Akinori Otsuka a 2008 contract . . . WFAN's Ed Coleman has three solutions to the Mets' pitching woes: 1. Get Johan Santana. 2. Get Johan Santana. 3. Get Johan Santana.
QUICKLY: The Brewers say their top offseason priority is re-signing relievers Francisco Cordero and Scott Linebrink (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . Gary Sheffield will have shoulder surgery. (Detroit Free Press)
AND FINALLY . . . I'm with the blog The Fantasy Baseball Generals, which is aghast at a new birth-control pill called Yaz.
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone 
at 6:51 AM | Permalink
