The Red Sox have dug themselves into a nice hole, now down 3-1 to the Indians. But I am not ready to throw in the towel quite yet. Before you start calling me a disillusioned idiot, let’s consider a few things. First of all, with the exception of game one, the Red Sox offense has been missing in action. Boston has made some ordinary pitchers look like Sandy Koufax. I have to believe that the Boston coaching staff is going to working their butts off to correct whatever has caused the Sox bats to go cold. Also, the Sox have proven they can put up bunches of runs and can go on a winning streak of their own.

We also have Josh Beckett pitching game 5 Thursday night. We all know what he can do in the playoffs. I still agree with Francona not to start Beckett last night. He can’t pitch every game. The Sox need someone else to step up and pitch a decent game.

This reminds me of Kevin Millar in the 2004 playoffs against the Yankees. Boston was down 3-0 in the series, with Derek Lowe set to pitch game 4. Millar warned the Yankees, “Don’t let us win this game, because if we do, we have Schilling, then Pedro, then anything can happen in game 7.” This holds true now. Beckett wins Thursday. Followed by Schilling in Game 6, and then anything can happen in game 7.

The clock is ticking, but there is still time to turn this thing around. Keep the faith.

Go Sox!

The Red Sox are going to be limping around the bases tonight after repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot over and over again in game 3. The Sox were primed to put a big number on the scoreboard in the early innings last night, but instead they stranded 7 runners in the first two innings.

This was of course followed by David Ortiz getting hit by a ball hit by Man-Ram, killing another rally. I haven’t seen a runner get hit by a ball since I was 10 years old playing little league baseball. This was a stupid base running error.

The Sox left 12 runners on base last night. I don’t care who you are playing, if you leave runners on base you lose the game. A team like Cleveland will capitalize on team’s mistakes and make them pay.

This brings me to Dice K. I keep telling myself that he is a rookie and he will get better. I might be in denial. He looked really good for the first three innings. His fastball had some pop to it, and he was getting a lot of strikeouts. Unfortunately, this drove up his pitch count and wore him out. Like many games this season, the 5th inning has been Dice K’s kryptonite. For some reason this inning has killed him all year. This guy had the reputation of not only being a big game pitcher, but a guy that could throw 130 pitches in a game. He has shown that he can throw about 75 in the major leagues before wearing down. I still believe that he will get better. I just wish it had started last night.

A couple of quick thoughts about tonight’s game. I wholeheartedly agree with Terry Francona to save Beckett for Game 5. Pitchers throwing on three days’ rest don’t win in the playoffs. This has been proven over and over again. This is not the time for Boston to get desperate. They are are in a 2-1 hole. This is not the end of the series by any stretch of the imagination. They have proven and will prove again that they can come back in the playoffs. Let’s not panic. Keep the faith.

Also, let’s find a way to get Jacoby Ellsbury into the lineup. I don’t care if he takes Coco’s spot or J.D.’s spot. Heck, I don’t care if he catches. This guy has provided a spark for the Sox since being called up. Let’s give him the chance to start a fire.

Interesting pitching match-up tonight. Old Man River vs. Father Time. This could be a great pitchers’ duel. Or it could turn into a beer league softball game. Either way it promises to be interesting.

Go Sox!

Big game in Cleveland tonight. Dice K is hoping to rebound from his ordinary performance against Anaheim in the ALDS. Cleveland, for some odd reason, is going with Jake Westbrook. I haven’t been this excited about a possible Boston rout since John Lackey pitched at Fenway.

Cleveland is a patient team that jumps on the fastball and can pile on runs. With Dice K on the mound, they are sure to get a healthy dose of off-speed pitches that paint the outside corner. Dice K doesn’t need to go out tonight and throw a no-hitter. He needs to play his game and mix up his pitches. If he pitches decent, the Red Sox will win.

Jake Westbrook, on the other hand, might be the worst game-three starter in the ALCS since the Red Sox started Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd in 1986. Westbrook gave up 9 hits and 6 runs in 5 innings against a mediocre team calling themselves the Yankees. Boston needs to get on this guy early in the game. This will keep the always-loud Cleveland fans quiet. And when the Indians resort to releasing another swarm of Lake Erie midges on the Sox, it will be too late.

Well… that’s five hours of my life that I will never get back. Thank you, Eric Gagne and Javy Lopez. The Sox losing by a touchdown in 11 innings was not what I envisioned for Game 2. This was supposed to be a duel between two big-game starting pitchers. Runs were supposed to be at a premium. Instead we saw two very patient teams at the plate and 19 runs on the scoreboard.

Both teams did a great job of not chasing pitches outside the strike zone, and they were forcing Schilling and Carmona to beat them. We all know how that ended up. Both pitchers lasted less than 5 innings, and this game became a battle of the bullpens. For 4 innings, both teams’ bullpens were on cruise control. It was like every pitcher that came into the game transformed into Mariano Rivera (the good one of 4 years ago, not the sucky one of recent memory) to shut down both teams’ hitters.

This was lining up perfectly for a dramatic 2004ish sequence to end the game. Bottom of the ninth inning, 2 outs. Pedroia draws a walk. Ellsbury comes in to pinch run and steals second base. Youkilis comes to bat with a runner in scoring position. This was supposed to be followed by a line drive into right field. Sox win. Instead, Youk battles for about 47 pitches and ends up smacking a line drive right at Grady Sizemore to end the inning.

Two things bothered me about this AB. First, Youk needed to play for the base hit. He needed to shorten his swing and just make decent contact. Instead he does a full out gorilla swing and drives it right at Sizemore. The second thing was that Sizemore did a cheesy fake dive to catch this ball. He was going all out to make it onto SportsCenter’s Top Ten Plays of the Day. Just catch the ball and get off the damn field.

This was of course followed by Gagne and Lopez making their grand entrances in the most important inning of the series. For me, this was like watching two cars speeding right at each other. I knew it wasn’t going to end well for either one, but strangely I couldn’t look away at the impending collision. We all know what happened next. Gagne gets our hopes up with a quick strikeout. This is the point when I actually thought for a second that Gagne might pitch a decent inning for once. Poof! End of the illusion. A single to Sizemore and a walk to Asdrubal “I have too many consonants in my first name” Cabrera, and Gagne is out of the game. He now has the rest of the night free to scare the children of Boston with his nasty facial hair. Lopez enters and gives up a quick RBI single to Nixon. The flood gates open, and a close, hard-fought game turns into a blowout.

A wise man once wrote, “Said woman take it slow, It’ll work itself out fine. All we need is just a little patience.” O.K. that was Axl Rose, but the point is, I’m out of patience with Gagne. He has been given every opportunity to succeed and has failed miserably every time. Gagne, you were welcomed to the jungle… you can leave now.

It’s hard to get too excited about the Boston Red Sox playing the Cleveland Indians in the ALCS. How do we root against these guys? The Indians play hard. They have some great pitchers and some legitimate All-Stars. They have loyal fans. And they are not the Yankees.

But, it’s the playoffs. Winner goes to the World Series. Time to leave it all out on the field. And it’s time to show Cleveland why Boston has, and will always have, the better team and more passionate fans. Boston fans have been way too quiet prior to this series. If the Yankees were coming to town, Sox fans would already have been on a four-day bender of cheap beer and trash talk. The question I have is this: Why show any restraint against this team and their fans? Let’s make this the most hostile environment they have ever played in. Boston has been in this position before and as recently as 2004. Heck, every home game at Fenway has a playoff feel to it. This whole experience is new to the Indians. They are young and primed to be overwhelmed by the playoff atmosphere. The Sox and their fans need to make the most of this home-field advantage and start the series with a sweep of the first two games.

The Indians have a young lineup featuring the always-dangerous Grady Sizemore. This guy is a complete five-tool player. Mix in Travis Hafner, Ryan Garko, and the ageless wonder Kenny Lofton and you have a team that can hurt you in many ways. Cleveland is coming off a big series with New York where they smacked the Yankees around. They played well in that series, getting great performances by Fausto Carmona and the Lake Erie Midges, but let’s be honest: the Yankees sucked. They definitely did not play like the team that went on a tear after the All Star break. How bad was it for the Yankees? Derek Jeter batted .176 and hit into 3 double plays. This guy is supposed to be Mr. October, and he looked more like A-Rod than A-Rod. Anytime you can beat New York 3 out of 4 games it’s impressive. The Indians are a good team, but they are positioned for a letdown.

Let’s look at the game one starters: Josh Beckett vs. C.C. Sabathia

These are two 27-year-old potential Cy Young winners who have carried their teams and been the aces of their respective staffs. The difference between the two is that Beckett is smarter, more fiery, and is a past World Series MVP. Beckett has already thrown three complete-game shutouts in the playoffs during his career. That is the second most EVER! Beckett lives for these games.

C.C. Sabathia is a big pitcher. When I say big, I mean FAT. This guy is 6’5″, 250 lbs. He should be playing tight-end for the Browns. Have you seen this guy lately? Hat crooked on his head, pants that look like they are used to cover the Goodyear blimp. He does not look like a professional athlete. I wonder if C.C. stands for Chocolate Cake.

I break down the rest of the match-ups like this:

Offense: Papi, Lowell, and a resurgent Manny vs. Sizemore, Hafner, and Garko. Advantage, Boston.

Speed: Julio Lugo and Coco Crisp vs. Grady Sizemore and Kenny Lofton. Slight edge to Cleveland.

Team Defense: Coco, Youkilis, Pedroia, Lowell, and Varitek vs. Sizemore, Peralta, and Garko. Edge Boston.

Starting pitching: Beckett, Schilling, and Dice K vs. Sabathia, Carmona and Westbrook. I want to see how Chocolate Cake and Carmona do on the big stage. Slight Edge to Boston.

Bullpen: Borowski vs. Papelbon. Borowski has been effective all year long, but he doesn’t intimidate anybody. Papelbon is the best closer in baseball. Advantage Boston.

There you have it. Boston will outclass, out-pitch and outperform Cleveland this series. They have the clutch performers and the experience on their side.

Remember you heard it here first.

Here’s a Roger Clemens post from Dylan. I know that you’ll all enjoy it.
-Dave

I love icing on cakes, it’s so delicious, it takes something that is already so tasty and enjoyable, and just ups the ante. As I sat, watching the Yankees get swept out of the Playoffs after putting everything they had into the last few months of the season, I was happy. But, then someone spread on the icing. It was announced during the game, that if the Yankees had won, Roger Clemens would be sat for the rest of the playoffs and the always mean Ron Villone would take his spot.

Ron Villone? Are you serious? Who is Ron Villone? Well, he has just a little bit more experience in the bigs then Moonlight Graham did in Field of Dreams. He’s made a whopping two postseason appearances. I did the research on the guy, and I was actually somewhat impressed, for someone I haven’t heard too much from, his stats are, well decent. But this Rocket Roger Clemens, the “greatest” pitcher of all time, reduced to a run-of-the mill pitcher, replaced by a more run-of-the mill guy in Ron Burgundy or whatever his name was. Point I’m making is this, we have FINALLY seen the last of Clemens. The all time active leader in wins, strikeouts, crappy cell phone adds, and being a dirty money grabbing whore, is done for.

I picture Clemens as that older duck on Ducktales that swims in the giant pool of gold coins. I’ve been sick of this guy ever since he first signed with New York, but the past few seasons have been ridiculous. Not wanting to travel with the team, a bazillion dollars for the half season he was willing to pitch, and he still can’t buy a cell phone that doesn’t get dropped calls, the commercial sucked anyways. Clemens, you’re a sellout and a money grubbing non-team player. Here at thefoulline, we’d like to say farewell to old money bags. Watching Roger, the hope of the team after the all star break, be replaced in third inning of game three was great, but seeing Ron Villone replace him for the playoffs, well, Roger that’s one thing you can’t put a price tag on.

When you think of Boston, thoughts of clam chowder, Paul Revere, and the Boston Pops come to mind. The city nicknamed Beantown is rich in sports history, home to the Bruins, Sox and Celtics. All of these teams have had ups and downs in their histories but have each won multiple championships. Names like Russell, Orr, Williams, Bird, Yastremski, Esposito, and Havlicek are ingrained in New England sports fans’ heads from the time they are born. These are just a few of the legends that have graced the Boston sports scene over the years. Memories of Havlicek stealing the ball, Doug Flutie’s hail mary and Carlton Fisks’s home run are some of the most famous highlights in the history of sports. But with the good comes the bad, and we also remember Bill Buckner forgetting how to field a ground ball, Magic Johnson’s baby hook, and Bucky @#$%ing Dent. This city’s fans have suffered (and celebrated) with these teams and are some of the most dedicated fans in the world.

When you think of Cleveland, thoughts of polish pierogi, Drew Carey, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame can be found somewhere deep in your memory, if you think real hard and maybe Google “stuff Cleveland is known for.” Cleveland is nicknamed “the mistake on the lake” and is home to the Cavaliers, Browns, and Indians. Cleveland has been in a bit of a sports drought over the years, but who can remember forget 1964, when the Browns won the (pre-Super Bowl) NFL championship, the last major sports title to come to Cleveland. Or 1994, when the spectacular Cleveland Crunch dominated the National Professional Soccer League, bringing a long awaited title to Cleveland. Names like Jim Brown, Bob Feller, and Lebron James have graced the Ohio sports scene. But like any major city, Cleveland has experienced its share of disappointment. There aren’t enough The Drew Carey Show reruns to make you forget The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot and Red Right 88. This city’s fans have suffered (and suffered) over the years, but still remain some of the most passionate fans on the planet.

This should be an exciting series. Both teams have quality pitching and exciting lineups. Let’s hope the Red Sox can add one more year to Cleveland’s suffering. After all they’ve gotten used to it.

Red Sox in 6

The Boston Red Sox are going to the American League Championship Series. Let’s enjoy this for a day or two, then I think it’s important to reflect on some good things and some bad things that need to be worked out before game one on Friday.

First of all, anytime you sweep a team it’s great, but we need to remember that Boston swept a very beat-up team. The Angels’ two best players were playing with one arm (Vlad Guerrero) and one eye (Garrett Anderson). Their best defensive centerfielder was out (Garry Matthews Jr.), and their only pitcher with playoff experience was left off the playoff roster (Bartolo Colon). Not to mention the Angels had John Lackey pitch at Fenway, which pretty much concedes a Boston victory. I don’t want to sound like “the glass is half empty,” but the point I want to make is that whoever Boston plays in the next round (Cleveland) is going to be healthier, hungrier, and more determined than the Angels were.

In order for Boston to advance to the World Series they are going to need a repeat performance from their pitching staff. Beckett, Schilling, and the bullpen were phenomenal. Francona managed aggressively. He had guys stealing, hitting and running, and going for the extra base. They also had some big hitting from Papi, Manny and Lowell.

One of the bad things I noticed was that it seemed like Boston left a ton of runners on base. As the World Series gets closer, every run is important. These guys can’t be stranded. It also seemed like Boston grounded into a bunch of double plays. They are going to need Drew, Pedroia, and Coco to be more consistent at the plate. They looked lost up there a few times.

Another thing, and I hope Terry Francona finally realizes this: Eric Gagne sucks. He blew Schilling’s hard earned shutout tonight. I was surprised that he was even put on the playoff roster. Gagne has not pitched one meaningful inning since his acquisition. He has been a bust. Theo Epstein needs to eat a little crow and admit he blew it on this one. I personally would have given that spot to Julian Tavarez. Tavarez is much more versatile. He can start, as well as be the long reliever if needed. He has done whatever the Sox have asked of him this year. He’s a goofball, but even when he rolls the ball to first base, it’s still better then when Gagne is out there.

The Red Sox have the players to get the job done and win the World Series, but they can’t count on always getting the clutch home run. Getting the little things right is what is going to take Boston to the next level.

I love the baseball playoffs. It really is the best time of the sports year. If you didn’t get excited watching either of the American League Division games last night, you might be a cyborg… or maybe J.D. Drew. Here are some of the things that caught my eye during these two games last night.

• Boston fans might want to reconsider A-Rod joining the Red Sox next season. This guy is 0 for 24 in the postseason with three more strikeouts last night. If the postseason started in May, he would be our guy.
• Fausto Carmona is the real deal. He will win a Cy Young within the next three seasons.
• Watching Joba Chamberlain pitch last night was a thing of beauty. The bugs flying around his head turned him into a shell of the pitcher he normally is. I’m surprised he was able to get anyone out the way he was affected. I bet if it were Snickers bars instead of bugs flying around his fat head he would have been ok.
• I may have given Dice K too much credit. He looked a little out of sorts. Not a terrible game, but I was expecting more from the #2 guy.
• Joe Torre aged 30 years over the last two games. He is now officially 112.
• For a while last night, I really thought Manny Ramirez was drunk. He played like he drank a bottle of Jack Daniels before the game, over-running a ball in the 2nd inning, turning a routine fly ball into a circus catch. He really looked lost. He needed that walk-off home run just to redeem himself.
• Anytime you get walked four times during a playoff game, you win the official title of Baddest Dude in Baseball. 2007 winner: David Ortiz.
• Kelvim Escobar deserved better. He really pitched well last night. With the exception of the first inning, he was excellent. I can’t remember a pitcher hitting the outside corner as often as Escobar did last night.
• Manny Ramirez will get beaned in game 3. After he hit his game winner, he admired that shot a little too long. You have to act like you’ve done it before, Manny. Enjoy the plunking. By the way, that blast was wicked awesome.
• I can now see why the Angels won their division. They are scary on the basepaths.
• The WTBS announcers are horrible. They regurgitated every fact that has been reported this season. Wow! Breaking news! Jonathan Papelbon was supposed to be a starting pitcher this year! That is top-rate reporting. Not to mention they both have faces for radio.
• Has anyone seen Derek Jeter this post season? Isn’t this guy supposed to be Captain Clutch?
• In a one-run game, Mike Scioscia let Scot Shields pitch. This guy’s ERA at Fenway is 17.65. He makes John Lackey look like Sandy Koufax.
• That was not a typo above. The Shields family opted to give their son only one “t” in his name.
• Roger Clemens is pitching his last game in the Major Leagues tomorrow. Four years too late.
• I know I am reaching on this one, but I really believe Boston and Cleveland will meet in the American League Championship Series.

The American League playoffs have been great so far and have really lived up to the hype.

Does anyone know when the National League Playoffs start???

When a team is down one game to none in a five-game series, game two is a must-win. With the exception of the 2004 Red Sox, teams don’t come back from a 2-0 deficit.

That’s why tonight the Angels are going to put out their best lineup and leave it all out on the field. We’ll see Vlad playing right field. Mike Scioscia will have his guys trying to bunt for hits and steal bases, with a few hits and runs mixed in for fun. These are the things that got the Angels into the postseason. If they can’t do these things now, it will be what puts them into the off-season. You could say that this is the most important game for both teams to win.

Terry Francona knew the importance of this when he announced the starting rotation. Game one was a no-brainer. Cy Beckett was starting – easiest decision ever. For game two he had some options: Curt Schilling, Dice K, or Tim Wakefield. What we didn’t know at the time was that despite his solid final start of the season, Wakefield’s back was still hurting, so he was out. I think everyone assumed Schilling would start game two. After all, he’s pitched well during his last five starts, and is arguably one of the greatest postseason pitchers of all time.

Dice K has looked good, not great this year pitching in the Major Leagues. Earlier in the season, he caught a lot of teams off guard with his array of off-speed pitches picking up some wins. The second time against these same teams, batters would force him to hit his spots, driving up his pitch count and frustrating Dice K at times. The key for Dice K is getting that first pitch for a strike and then nibbling the corners with his off-speed pitches. If he gets too cute with his pitches and can’t command his fastball it could be a rough outing.

What concerns me about Dice K is that he is a different pitcher when there are runners on base. I don’t know if he focuses too much on the baserunner, or he doesn’t get enough leg push pitching from the stretch, but with a team like the Angels, who can get on base and are disruptive on the base paths, I worry how Dice K will do. But this is a guy that had very little run support and was still able to win 15 games as a rookie, playing in the toughest division in baseball.

So what made Francona go with a rookie for the biggest game of the series? Everyone has heard the stories of Dice K throwing 250+ pitches in a high school playoff game, then going out and throwing a no-hitter in the final for only the second time in Japanese high school baseball history. He followed that up by dominating the competition during the World Baseball Classic, posting a 3-0 record and winning the MVP pitching against the best players on the planet. Some pitchers have the ability to take it up a notch when it matters. It’s like they have an extra gear.

So why would Tito Francona send out a 15-win rookie with the knack of pitching lights out in big games against a team that has never faced him?

Something tells me we’ll find out tonight.