Well that didn't last long. Was it the lingering shock over the death of J.P Villaman the day before? (Players heard about it just as they arrived at the park.) Or was it just a hangover from the weekend's hit parade in the Bronx? Whatever, it's hard to call last night anything but a real downer.

For his second straight start, Bronson Arroyo was terrible, ceding seven runs on 10 hits in just two and a third innings, including the grand slam number-nine hitter David Newhan -- batting average? a whopping .194 -- wrapped around Pesky's Pole. Interestingly, as Chris Snow points out, the last spot in the order has posed problems for the Sox this season, especially for Arroyo:

According to statistician Chuck Waseleski, No. 9 batters are hitting .282 vs. Boston with 8 HRs and 31 RBIs in 50 games. By comparison, cleanup batters are hitting .254 with 7 HRs and 32 RBIs. Of the five homers Arroyo has surrendered, three have been to No. 9 hitters.

Luckily -- and surprisingly -- John Halama pitched well in bailing out Arroyo, lasting four and a third without giving up a hit, lowering his ERA to 5.34 in the process.

Unfortunately, it was all for naught as Sox slayer Rodrigo Lopez continued to mesmerize us, keeping the lineup to just six hits and a run (unearned). A mediocre 31-29 in his career against teams other than Boston, he's 9-4 against us, 6-1 at Fenway Since 2002.

Bright spots? Just a few. Manny Ramirez and Trot Nixon each got a hit and each threw a runner out at the plate. Johnny Damon was two for two, and John Olerud (two for four) continues to play well. And, as predicted, Kevin Millar has responded to the competition for his by ratcheting up his game, hitting .385 in New York.

In other news, Kevin Youkilis, barely two weeks after making his pro debut at first, debuted at second base in the eighth inning last night. One play, no error. Yoooouk!

Off the field, one pitcher and one catcher seem, slowly, to be on the mend.

Wade Miller goes tonight against Daniel Cabrera. Let's hope, unlike Arroyo, he can bounce back strong from his last horrific start.

5/31/2005 1:16:00 PM by Mike Miliard | Comments [1] |  

Juan Pedro "J.P." Villaman, play-by-play announcer for the Red Sox' Spanish Beisbol Network (WROL, 950-AM) died in a car crash early this morning while driving home to Lawrence after flying into Logan from New York with the team.

Known affectionately as "Papa Oso" ("Papa Bear"), the Dominican Republic-born Villaman was very popular with fans and players alike.

This has been a rough month for the team and its staff; Villaman's death comes barely three weeks after clubhouse attendant Bernie Logue died in fall from a downtown Boston parking garage.

Just too sad, especially after such an amazing weekend.

RIP, J.P.

5/30/2005 5:08:00 PM by Mike Miliard | Comments [0] |  

Between cookouts galore and a couple rippin' rock and roll shows, Sox Blog's Memorial Day weekend has been a corker so far. The sun even came out a few times between thunder showers! But, of course, the best part of all has been watching the good guys take two out of three from the bad guys in most commanding fashion.

It hasn't been all great. Friday night, thankfully, is a distant memory. In fact, Sox Blog, traveling between watering holes during the sixth inning, comfortable with our two-run lead, mercifully missed erstwhile ex-Yankee Dale Sveum's two baserunning blunders and Hitler-mustached Gary Sheffield's game-changing three-run homer. Which is a good thing for ex-Yankee Dale Sveum and Hitler-mustached Gary Sheffield, because, had he seen those plays, Sox Blog would dislike those two men with a white hot passion even whiter and hotter than the one with which he dislikes them now.

But by Saturday, all was forgiven. Sox Blog isn't sure if the Stade Fasciste scoreboard actually malfunctioned late in the game, or is Boss Steinbrenner replaced all those numbers with zeroes in a futile effort to deny the reality of what was happening in his ballpark. But our 27 hits and 17 runs -- the biggest margin of victory in our long, long history together -- were a brutal reminder that we can beat any team, and beat them hard. Even if they'd won 16 of their last 18.

Poor Carl Pavano gave up 11 hits and five runs in just three and two thirds innings. (At least he made it deeper into the game than the last time he was in this type of situation.) Paul Quantrill fell just short of a cycle of sorts, giving up a two-run homer, a three-run homer, and a grand salami. Mike Stanton and Buddy Groom each also saw their ERAs surpass 6.50.

Every Red Sox batter, meanwhile, notched at least two hits. Johnny Damon went four for seven. Edgar Renteria was a perfect three for three including that glorious grand slam. David Ortiz walked twice and had a pair of hits. Manny Ramirez went four for four, raising his anemic batting average 18 points. Trot Nixon went three for six, including a two-run homer, with five RBIs. Even new-guy John Olerud went three for six. (Woulda been five for six, too, if he hadn't twice rocketed two line drives right at the pitcher.) Even Jay Payton went yard. Gotta love laughers.

And, again, Matt Clement sparkled: just five hits and no runs in six innings pitched. He's still undefeated (6-0) with a 3.06 ERA. Does Sox Blog still think he should remove that small, furry woodland creature from his chin? Yes. But maybe it's his good luck talisman. In that case, keep it.

Last night was a blast, too.

Edgar Renteria -- 10 for 12 in this series, including his grand slam Saturday and solo homer last night -- is still on fire. He's raised his batting average 56 points on this trip. (Maybe it is the new number?) He'd better get a standing ovation at home tonight.

David Ortiz -- with four hits, including two towering homers, for his 13th multi-homer game -- turned the tables, finally, on Mike Mussina. He did it for mom.

And, Sox Blog has no trouble admitting that (first inning homers allowed to Sheffield and Captain Intangibles notwithstanding) another David was also phenomenal last night: crisp, economical -- 84 pitches through eight! including a four-pitch inning! -- and brutally effective.

Tonight the Sox are back home at friendly Fenway -- where we've played just 19 of our first 49 games so far -- to take on the first-place O's. (Why does it seem like we always draw Rodrigo Lopez?) Sweep 'em, and we'll be right up there at the top of the division with 'em. After all, if Detroit can do it, why can't we?

Home cooking always helps. Maybe some tunes will also help keep us on our roll. The Globe gets to the bottom, sorta, of why "Sweet Caroline" is sung with such gusto during the eighth inning at the lyric little bandbox. It also offers 30-second clips of Sox players' favorite pump-up music. Nothing too surprising there, although it's interesting to note that Trot Nixon loves Lemmy almost as much as he loves Jesus. Who woulda thunk? (See also a semi-related piece that appeared on this very Web site just a few weeks ago.)

5/30/2005 4:15:00 PM by Mike Miliard | Comments [0] |  

The view is breathtaking from down here. Yes, that's A-Rod's ass you see in front of you. As feared, we have tumbled precipitously in the standings. We are behind the Yankees. And the Blue Jays. And the Orioles. (Still.) The last time the Red Sox were this low at this point in the season was 1997. But, hey, at least we're eight games up on the D-Rays.

The box score for last night's game confuses the mind. They got nine hits. We got nine hits. They committed one error. We didn't commit any. Yet they beat us 8-1. Baseball is a funny game.

The good news? Kevin Millar and Edgar Renteria both went 3 for 4. (Maybe with John Olerud breathing down his neck, Millar will hit for the cycle tonight?)

And, uh, that's about it. At least Wade Miller says he isn't hurt. Why was he so godawful last night? It's a mystery. But once he'd spotted the Jays six runs on four hits and three walks in the first of his two innings of work last night, we were pretty much doomed. As the Elias Sport Bureau point out, "in 105 years, the Red Sox have won only one road game in which they allowed six-or-more runs in the first inning. That game came in Cleveland on July 30, 1948..."

So that was that. We got swept by the effing Blue Jays. Onward.

Now it's back to Stade Fasciste once again, to face a white hot team -- 15 of their last 17! --who've finally gotten their proverbial shit together. They'll be tough to beat. But it's not impossible. All we gotta do, says Johnny Damon, is concentrate on "making the big plays, swinging the big bats, making the right pitch."

Easy as pie. Right?

One game at a time. Go, you big Tim Wakefield.

5/27/2005 12:17:00 PM by Mike Miliard | Comments [0] |  

This is not good. Not good at all. Just like that, the Boston Red Sox are all but neck and neck with the Yankees and the Blue Jays, and four games back from the still-strong Orioles. In less than 12 hours we could conceivably be in fourth place. Best case scenario, we head to the Bronx tomorrow clinging desperately to a half-game lead over our archenemies. The worst case scenario after this weekend is more distressing to contemplate than this unceasing and godawful weather.

We're 4-6 in our last ten games. Toronto, meanwhile, is 6-4 and Baltimore is 7-3. The Yankees? The team we all had such fun laughing at just a few a weeks back? They're 8-2. (Oh, and A-Rod? I don't care if he sees a shrink or not. He's got more home runs (16) and RBIs (46) than anyone in baseball. One can only hope his struggles against the Sox will continue this weekend.)

Bronson Arroyo suffered his first loss in 18 starts -- since August '04 -- last night. Was he rusty after serving that six-game suspension? He said post-game that he wasn't, but the results spoke differently. He hit the first batter he faced. There was a passed ball soon after. Six hits and five runs allowed. That's not the Saturn Nuts we know and love.

And we lost. Again. We haven't won back to back games for two whole weeks.

For all his off-the-field frivolity, Johnny Damon takes his sport seriously. And he doesn't mince words when it's time to take the asshats off and get down to business. At the moment, he says, these World Series Champions are "a very bad team."

"We need to get back to that stage where every game is a must win instead of just saying 'Oh, we'll be OK.' It's a different year.''

"New York's climbing. We have to start doing something or it could be a long summer."

And he's right. We looked terrible out there last night. Ted Lilly -- who, uh, is really not that good -- kept us to just four hits (one each came from scuffling Mark Bellhorn and Edgar Renteria) and one run. An ugly fielding error by Kevin Millar, and an uglier throwing error by Arroyo. At least the game was short. During Damon's post game interview you could heard that clubhouse was as silent as a tomb.

We have to win tonight. Have to. Sox Blog has great faith in Wade Miller.
(PS: Gustavo Chacin is funny looking!)

Time to hit the panic button? Not quite yet. (Talk to me on Monday.) But changes definitely have to be made. So herewith Sox Blog's short-term prescription for turning this thing around in three easy steps.

* Bench Kevin Millar. Yeah, he's trying. And I like him, really. He's got mad intangibles. But the results just aren't there. He was 0 for 4 last night, his .231 average is the worst in the lineup, and he seems to commit an error every other play lately. Kevin Youkilis has proven he can handle first base, and we really need his bat. Also, John Olerud may be ready to join the team. History has shown that Millar kicks it up a notch when his job is threatened. Let's scare him for a week or so, and see what happens.

* Rearrange the batting order. Put Bellhorn back in the two-spot. He did well there last year. And move Renteria back down somewhere in the bottom, maybe ninth. He just doesn't seem comfortable hitting second.

* Restock the bullpen. Let's ignore for a moment the continuing drama surrounding Keith Foulke's mysterious problems. (Why was he pitching in a 6-1 loss last night, but not a 6-6 tie on Tuesday?) As I write this, the Red Sox relievers combine to be at or near the bottom in almost every statistical category: ERA, WHIP, wins, opponent's batting average, home runs allowed, you name it. (See this in-depth analysis at Sons of Sam Horn.) Sorry, but John Halama (6.56 ERA), and Jeremi Gonzalez (7.64) just aren't hacking it. Alan Embree (5.03), who had no business pitching to righty Reed Johnson the other night, ain't looking too sharp these days neither. Might it behoove us to consider bringing back, say, Mark Malaska (a 3.81 ERA in Pawtucket) and Abe Alvarez (3.86), or even calling up a guy like Jon Papelbon (2.27) from Portland? After all, Cla Meredith got his shot, and it can't turn out any worse than that, right?

And the good news keeps on coming. This should surprise absolutely no one, but Curt Schilling should have plenty more time to play EverQuest.

5/26/2005 2:14:00 PM by Mike Miliard | Comments [0] |  

5/25/2005 10:44:00 AM by Mike Miliard | Comments [0] |  

This weather effing sucks. It's cold and it's crappy and it feels more like the waning days of spring training time than the flowering of May. (Looks like it will for another week, too.) Wade Miller had clear skies and clear sailing on Friday, but the weeping firmament seemed perfectly suited for Saturday night's ugly loss.

Luckily, yesterday afternoon was a bit more amenable to a ball game, and Matt Clement took full advantage. He pitched yet another gem, turning in the Red Sox' first complete game, allowing just four hits and two runs in nine strong innings. He's got a 5-0 record now, and his ERA is a tidy 3.34. John Smoltz, on the other hand, threw 112 laborious pitches, and couldn't make it out of the fifth. He gave up nine hits, but just two runs due to our continuing inability to connect with men on base -- we stranded 13 for the second time in less than a week. (Sox Blog believes in you, Edgar, but patience is wearing thin.)

At any rate we took two out of three from our "natural rivals" the Braves, beating their two aces, while once again getting flummoxed by a rookie.

In other news:

* Reports of Manny's demise have been greatly exaggerated. (3 for 5 -- coulda been 5 for 5 with any luck -- including homer #401.)

* Bill Mueller -- 3 for 4, with an RBI -- is starting to hit the ball again. Howsabout we win another batting title, Pro?

* Kevin Youkilis played at first again, making a lighting quick diving catch in the ninth (and notching a key ribbie in the fifth).

* Curt Schilling took the boot off. Kevin Millar won't put one on. (He also admits that he sucks. C'mon, Kev, you don't suck. You're just streaky. Very, very streaky.)

* We gained a game on the Orioles.

The Red Sox head to Cooperstown today for Hall of Fame Game, taking on the Detroit Tigers in a scrimmage before a thronging crowd of 9,781 fans. Silent, square-jawed second baseman Bobby Doerr will be there (both as a plaque on the wall and in person). So will Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky -- all three of them were recently bestowed with their well-deserved World Series rings. Incidentally, if you haven't yet read David Halberstam's magisterial The Teammates, please do so immediately. (Scroll down to the middle of the page for the Phoenix's review.)

5/23/2005 11:06:00 AM by Mike Miliard | Comments [0] |  

It's difficult to describe the seething fury Sox Blog felt yesterday afternoon, listening to David Wells cough up six hits and four earned runs in the first inning then surrendering a three-run homer before being pulled in the second. (Never mind hearing the slow strangulation of 15 of the first 17 Red Sox batters being retired by AAA call-up Seth Etherton).

But quaking with uncontrollable rage is not good for the body or the spirit. So Sox Blog paid a visit to his Zen master, who as usual, had sage advice: distill that all that anger into the placid lucidity of haiku.

Herewith, my feelings for David Wells rendered in Japanese lyric verse.

"You write what you want."
That's what you said to Chris Snow.
Okay, then: You suck.

Why did you claim that
You didn't need rehab starts?
Quite clearly, you do.

Curt Schilling has pitched
For the Pawtucket Red Sox.
You're too good for that?

What happened out there?
Did you not get the memo?
Oakland's offense stinks.

I had to wonder:
Were you still hurt? Maybe drunk?
Or just hungover?

It takes some doing
To convince Sox fans that they'd
Rather see Blaine Neal.

They call you Boomer.
Is that from the sound made by
Towering home runs?

A fat, loud Yankee?
Well, that was kind of funny.
Here? Uh, not so much.

Why would you rush back?
You're obviously not ready.
Oh, yeah. The money.

You get paid extra
For each start after your tenth,
Isn't that the case?

I'd hate to think that
You'd put financial concerns
Ahead of the team.

Hey! Happy birthday!
You're 42 tomorrow.
When's retirement age?

5/19/2005 11:33:00 AM by Mike Miliard | Comments [0] |  

Let's just say that if we'd lost that one, Sox Blog would be feeling pretty ornery today. No one appreciates staying up bleary-eyed until nearly 2 a.m. only to watch their team lose. And it looked like that's how it would play out in the bottom of the sixth last night when Mark Kotsay and the hated Eric Byrnes drove in two to put the A's on top.

But we pulled it out. Of our ass. That's pretty much the only way to describe a 7-5 win in which the loser has nine hits and the victor has just four. But Oakland's three errors helped us. So did the 11 walks they allowed (seven of them issued by starter Barry Zito). And this time, unlike Monday night's game, we were actually able to, like, do stuff with men on base! Wicked awesome.

Edgar Renteria sure was. The guy's been the subject of a lot of hair-pulling and hand-wringing over the last several weeks, but last night it was he who sealed the deal, stepping to the plate with the bases loaded in the eighth and sending a liner sinking to right that Byrnes botched (beautifully!) allowing Bill Mueller, Jay Payton, and then Johnny Damon to score.

Should we really be all that concerned about E-Rent? He's hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games, batting .288 in the process. With runners in scoring position, his average is .292, and with the bases loaded he's hitting a robust .556. And while he's scuffling a bit on the road (.227), at Fenway -- where the Red Sox have only played 16 out of 39 games so far -- he's got a decent .278 average, and uses the Monster to his advantage. It's been said before, but I'll say it again: he'll be fine.

Starter Matt "Abraham Lincoln" Clement was just OK last, surrendering five earned runs on six hits and four walks in five and two thirds innings. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but he probably should have stayed in for the final out of the sixth inning, even after the two hard hit singles he allowed. Matt Mantei was even more shaky, immediately giving up two singles, allowing two runs to plate and saddling Clement with the loss. Luckily, we won, and he remains undefeated.

Alan Embree and Mike Timlin -- whose ERA is now a picturesque 0.93 -- combined for two hitless innings, and Keith Foulke closed it out, surrendering just a hit in the ninth, which was good to see. (Incidentally, check out Ken Rosenthal's column from today's Sporting News about what a hit-or-miss commodity a good closer really is.)

If the win was sloppy and a little lucky, it was necessary. The Orioles, Blue Jays, and Yankees all won, too. But, as Eric Wilbur pointed out yesterday, this is a team we really should beat with no problem anyway. These ain't the Moneyball A's anymore.

David Wells goes today at 3:15 against mediocre and inexperienced Seth Etherton. (To make room for Wells on the roster, Cla Meredith packs up for Pawtucket while Jeremi Gonzalez will stick around.) Wells says he's a quick healer, and apparently he is since this ostensible six-week DL stint has lasted just half that. Let's just hope he's not rushing himself.

At the very least he's doing better than Curt Schilling. (Do you have the queasy feeling that #38 is out for the season? I sure do. I really hope I'm wrong.)

In the mean time, we've got Saturn Nuts. (Or will, once his six-game suspension is served.) Tony Massarotti, for one, thinks we should realize what a ballsy dude he is and lock him up for the long term. Sox Blog is inclined to agree. He goes commando, y'know.

Finally, it turns out that Manny Ramirez was actually serious when he said he was going to put his 400th home run ball on eBay. Should we have expected any less?

It doesn't look like the ball is on the cyberauction block yet, but you can still purchase this handsome portrait-on-platinum from Manny's Indians days (starting bid just two bucks!), this nifty key chain, and this 2004 World Series MVP bobblehead. If your price is right, of course.

5/18/2005 12:28:00 PM by Mike Miliard | Comments [0] |  

13 men left on base. You just can't do that. The good guys lost to Oakland last night for the first time in a long time. (Looks like Sox Blog gloated too soon.) In large part, that had to do with the fact that we had the bases loaded with no outs in the fourth and couldn't plate a single run. As the Globe's Chris Snow so charitably puts it, "the Sox failed to deliver in a situation in which it's fairly difficult not to score." Hmm, yes.

Oakland, on the other hand, were able to capitalize on a similar situation in the fifth, when Mark Kotsay stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and launched a triple over Trot Nixon's head, clearing the bases and giving the A's the lead. They'd relinquish it to David Ortiz's two-run double in the seventh, but then reclaim it in the eighth with newly-minted big leaguer Mark Watson's two run single off Mike Timlin.

Nixon looked hesitant as he tried to track down Kotsay's fly, and it probably had a lot to do with the mysterious leg injury he apparently suffered in the double-header against Seattle last week. It was disclosed to the world yesterday, and to hear him tell it, it's not be discussed for the remainder of the season. Strangely, it's an affliction that will eventually require surgery but can nonetheless be played through for the remaining four and a half months of the season. Whatever it is -- knee? quad? -- pray that Trot isn't just being bullheaded when he says he's not going on the DL. The way he's hitting -- he's got six homers (including Saturday's grand slam) and entered last night third in the league in on-base-percentage (.444) and sixth in both batting average (.337) and walks (21) -- we can ill-afford to lose him.

Hopefully a little spotting here and there by Jay Payton is all he'll need. Or maybe even something more drastic? Like -- as a few posters suggest in this Sons of Sam Horn thread -- a move to first base? If that means Kevin Millar in right field instead, it's probably counterproductive. (Incidentally, Kevin Youkilis played first for the first time in his major league career last night, and did a serviceable job. Don't be surprised to see him there again.)

In other news, aging pitchers are all over the place today:

* David Wells should make his return tomorrow night. Welcome back, Boomer.

* Tony Massarotti says Mike Timlin is a great guy: a real gamer, and a helluva Texan.

* And our old friend, 45-year-old Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd, threw 43 pitches in three innings, striking out three and allowing a hit and two walks in the Brockton Rox's 17-5 win against the Worcester Tornadoes -- managed by Boyd's former battery mate Rich Gedman -- last night. Gotta love it.

Speaking of old guys, would you pay $3500 to see the Rolling Stones at Fenway? Sox Blog sure wouldn't. Do, however, expect to see him on standing on Van Ness Street with a paper-bag-concealed beer on August 23. They'd better play "Tumbling Dice."

Finally, RIP Charlie Muse, inventor of the modern batting helmet. Manny Ramirez thanks you.

5/17/2005 11:47:00 AM by Mike Miliard | Comments [0] |  

The mood was bleak on October 4, 2003. Remember? The Red Sox were down 2-0 to the Oakland A's in the American League Division Series, this close to going home for the season. But the game that night was a wild one, including some truly asshat-esque base running by Eric Byrnes and Miguel Tejada, and, of course, Trot Nixon's brutally efficient two-run walk-off in the 11th inning.

Since that night, a year and a half ago, we've lost to the Oakland A's only once, winning 14 out of 15. Sucks to be them.

Yesterday afternoon, Eric Byrnes must have figured he'd found a bit of redemption for failing to touch home plate in that pivotal playoff game -- he was more concerned with shoving Jason Varitek like a petulant toddler -- and then getting tagged out near the backstop in the ultimate indignity. When he hammered a two-run homer off his former teammate, the frighteningly ineffective Keith Foulke, to give the A's a one run lead in the top of the ninth, it looked like they had the win sewn up.

Not so fast. As Steve Buckley writes in today's Herald (subs. req.), the A's should take a cue from the military and institute a "Don't ask Dotel" policy. For the second straight game, closer Octavio Dotel served up a one-out fastball with a man on base in the bottom of the ninth. And for the second straight game, that ball left the park and cost his team the win. This time, it was Jason Varitek, wrapping one around Pesky's Pole and swiftly undoing what his old nemesis Byrnes had accomplished in the previous half-inning. Justice could not be more poetic.

So, we won. But there are causes for concern. Keith Foulke's struggles continue. A closer should not be surrendering four runs in the ninth inning. But that's what he did yesterday. Would it be such a bad idea to let him sort some stuff out in some sort of middle-innings role, while enlisting, say, Mike Timlin, with his razor sharp 1.08 ERA, to nail down wins?

On the other hand, Matt Clement was terrific -- again -- going seven strong, surrendering just five hits and a single earned run. Better, the control issues that have dogged him in past outings were not there. He only walked one batter. To hear him tell it, a large part of his success seems to be an increasing comfort level with #33 behind the plate. (More Tek encomiums here and here.)

Clement should be 5-0 right now, but Foulke, the guy who least deserves it, got the win instead. As we've learned over the last couple days, baseball is a funny game.

In other pitching news, David Wells did well yesterday, and looks to be slated for a May 24 start, if not before then. Curt Schilling's ankle, alas, seems to be coming along much more slowly.

Next game is tomorrow night at 10 p.m. as we venture to the Pacific Northwest. Jeremi Gonzalez versus Joel Pineiro. It's gonna be a long 34 hours.

5/12/2005 11:58:00 AM by Mike Miliard | Comments [0] |  

The reproach rained down hard in the Sons of Sam Horn game thread last night, and it was directed at Kevin Millar.

what a hideous hideous hideous play by millar. oh wow.

Is that three extra outs that Millar's throws have given the A's this inning?

Kevin Millar's season to date has been the rough equivalent of a guy running in place, hasn't it? One step forward, one step back...

Except for the forward part.

Millar is awful in the field. He has been pulling his foot off the bag all year. How the heck does someone start that habit? Ugh...

I really can't stand Millar. Terrible fielder, doesn't make good throws, and probably one of the worst base runners in baseball. If the guy isn't hitting he brings nothing to the table. At least it's his last year.

Poor guy.

It took him 120 at-bats to finally notch his first home run Monday night, after several excruciating near-misses.

He's batting just .256.

He's been kinda funny looking lately; his hair is starting to look like an unkempt polyester wig and his creative but ill-advised goatee is a follicle debacle of the first order.

And ever since he did a couple commercials for KFC last summer, he's been doomed to have an upside-down chicken bucket Photoshopped onto his head in every other picture.

Millar's often "craptacular" play of late hasn't been all that fun to watch. But baseball is a funny sport. And Millar, the Red Sox' streakiest player, is as good an embodiment as any of its ups and downs. Goat one minute, hero the next. It's all in the game.

His fielding this year has been an improvement on seasons past, but perfect he's not. It started in the first inning when, rather than tossing to second or tagging first, he launched a sloppy throw to home plate, allowing Mark Kotsay to score. In the seventh, he did it again. With Bobby Kielty on third, Bronson Arroyo threw Adam Melhuse's chopped grounder to Millar at first. Again, Millar threw home. Not only was it late, but he'd failed to tag first. Another run plated with no outs recorded. Millar's two errors had led to both Oakland runs. He'd be hearing about this after the game.

But then, in the bottom of the ninth, with David Ortiz on first, it happened. Octavio Dotel grooved a 2-2 fastball right down the pike. Apparently, he had not gotten the memo that Millar is a dead fastball hitter.

The Beaumont Basher launched one into the Monster seats, his teammates mobbed and manhandled him, and "Dirty Water" blared. Surprisingly -- to Sox Blog, at least -- it was Millar's first walk-off homer with the Red Sox. Hopefully it's not the last. After all, every day is some Back Bay waitress's birthday.

Other reasons to be cheerful:

Johnny Damon? Still red hot.

David Wells feels pretty good and will throw a short bullpen session today.

The Stones are coming to Fenway. (Couldn't we get the Standells instead?)

And in about an hour, undefeated Matt Clement takes the mound against the sole remaining member of the A's Big Three, the struggling Barry Zito.

Let's sweep.

5/11/2005 11:54:00 AM by Mike Miliard | Comments [0] |  

"So foul and fair a day I have not seen."
-- Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 3

It was a weird afternoon in the Fens yesterday. It was cold and it was wet. Two games were played at unusual hours. One of them was won, and one of them was lost. Balls that should have left the park stayed inside, and a ball that should have been caught was swallowed by the crowd. Two pitchers made their debut for the Red Sox; one pitched well, and one did not. And, hanging over the whole affair like the heavy slate-gray sky, was the death the previous evening of one of the Red Sox' own.

Kevin Millar hit his first home run yesterday. Or would have, if a stiff wind hadn't blown his hard-hit ball back down just as it was about an inch from clearing the Monster. Aeolus was similarly cruel to David Ortiz and Doug Mirabelli (twice). Those almost-bombs were during the matinee game. That evening, we again were awarded the short end of Mother Nature's stick, as Terry Francona brought in just-called-up 21-year old Cla Meredith -- who was pitching in AA Portland just a week ago -- with a man on second in the seventh. Meredith promptly walked two batters, loading the bases. But then he induced Richie Sexson to fly to right. And, it flew all right. Right over Trot Nixon's outstretched glove and into the stands. Grand slam. Wind, why do you mock us?!

Bright spots? Silver linings? Rays of sunshine? There were a few. Jeremi Gonzalez looked good again in the afternoon game, lasting five and two thirds innings while ceding just four hits and three runs (only two of them earned). And the much-anticipated Wade Miller made his debut that evening and did not disappoint, going five frames and allowing only three hits, one walk, and two earned runs. Expectations had been tempered, owing to the frayed rotator cuff he'd had to recover from, and the fact that his starts in Pawtucket had found his pitches hovering around 88-89 miles per hour, and only topping out at 92 mph a few times. Last night, in the process of striking out six, he hit 92 and 93 several times, and even pushed it all the way up to 95 once. Miller attributed his velocity to "an adrenaline rush." Let's keep fingers-crossed that he didn't get too excited, that he didn't overthrow and screw anything up. Based on last night's results (even if they didn't translate to a win), we'd like to have this guy around for a while.

Cla "Pronounced 'Clay'" Meredith? No one seems quite sure what a kid with just one inning of AAA experience was doing making his debut in a tie game with a man in scoring position, even if there were two outs. But we'll leave that alone. We can only hope that giving up a grand slam in his first major league appearance won't spook him. There will be other games, and he'll pitch well. He's posted a jaw-dropping 0.76 ERA over his speedy travels through the Sox farm system (Augusta, Sarasota, Portland, and Pawtucket), giving up just four runs so far in his professional career. His ERA at the moment? Oh ... 81.00. But he'll be all right.

Meanwhile, Johnny Damon remained white hot, going 4 for 9 with three singles, a double, and two runs scored in the two games. His 14-game hitting streak is best in the majors. And David Ortiz went 4 for 7, including a home run and three doubles.

Ortiz had written a small tribute to Red Sox cook and clubhouse attendant Bernie Logue on his batting helmet before the first game. News of the 30-year-old's death the night before, in a fall from the sixth floor of a Government Center parking garage, obviously came as a body blow to the teammates, many of whom heard about it just prior to game time. Not many details have emerged about Logue's death so far. But Kevin Millar, who was in a box at the Fleet Center with him the night Logue died, points out that maybe this didn't have to happen if only Mother Nature had been kinder and Saturday's game hadn't been rained out. ''If we were playing, this probably wouldn't have happened," he told the Globe. "It makes you wonder." Too sad.

The Globe ­also reports today on increasing vigilance at Fenway Park with regards to alcohol sales. Team officials have increased the number of alcohol compliance supervisors at the park from five to nine, the better to police potential underage drinkers and obnoxious drunks. While beer has been flowing more freely at friendly Fenway -- roughly 20 percent more in 2004 than in 2003, with many cups now 16 ounces rather than 12 -- the Red Sox, who understandably are trying to squeeze every bit of revenue they possible from the tiny facility, point out that only Fenway vendors still refrain from offering the 24-ounce cups favored by many other parks.

And speaking of substance abuse, Peter Gammons this week has another thoughtful column about Steroidgate, but also casts an eye on the potential prohibition of other performance enhancing drugs, like uppers and energy elixirs. Tellingly, his unnamed sources have some interesting things to say about that prospect.

"If they ban greenies," says one superstar player, "there'll be a lot of boring 2-1, 3-2 games from about Memorial Day on through the end of the season."

"The owners," says another player, "had better be careful what they ask for."

Energy and focus stimulants are far more sophisticated than in years past, and all the drinks -- Red Bull, Full Throttle, Ripped Fuel, etc. -- can be bought at the ESPN cafeteria and/or gyms.

"With all the travel and the day games after night games, it can be tough to focus on a guy throwing 95," says a player. "Very tough. If they can greenies and the like, you'll be seeing players all over baseball trying to find doctors who will diagnose them (with having) ADD or narcolepsy. Heck, the players with ADD will have a big advantage because they can get Ritalin to focus."

Gammons also weighs in on our developing ace, Bronson "Saturn Nuts" Arroyo (who seems spooked by the attention). He points out that "as of May 7, Arroyo was 11-2 with a 3.72 ERA, fourth in the AL in victories behind Johan Santana (18), Bartolo Colon (16) and Ryan Drese (13) and seventh in ERA. And Boston's "big three" of Arroyo, Tim Wakefield and Matt Clement started the year 11-1."

Our own Big Three. Who woulda thunk it?

Wakefield goes tonight against Danny Haren from the A's, whose weak-hitting lineup helped the Yankees win two shutouts in a row this weekend, giving (false?) hope to Yankee fans that their fortunes are improving. Let's hope the awful A's -- last in the majors in OPS and runs scored and 27th in home runs -- continue their poor play tonight. And, of course, that Wake's knuckler flutters like a beautiful butterfly. Or something.

5/9/2005 3:23:00 PM by Mike Miliard | Comments [0] |  

Who knew? What with a grueling 162-game season, and all the physical, mental, and emotional commitment that comes with it, you wouldn't think major league ball players would have much spare time to be compiling their most intimate thoughts on LiveJournal.

But look at this. After his stellar nearly-no-hitter yesterday, looks like Bronson Arroyo got taken out on the town by his teammates and hit the sauce a little hard. Doug Mirabelli keeps a diary, too. ("Bombs, baby. Bombs.") The things you learn! Kevin Millar is still pulling for that home run. Mark Bellhorn still seems to be a little under the weather. David Wells isn't letting the disabled list get him down. Unsurprisingly, Jason Varitek is all business, while Johnny Damon is the opposite. (Apparently his gallivanting has prevented him from updating in a while.) Even Theo Epstein is getting in on the act.

One can even eavesdrop on the Evil Empire. As you might expect, things aren't good for these last-place teammates. Alex Rodriguez reveals himself to be just the petulant metrosexual we all know he is. Derek Jeter is down in the dumps, still clinging to the hope that he can turn the sinking ship around if only he's more "captain-y." And quiet man Hideki Matsui writes only in haiku. ("Why I join Yankees?/ Oh they America team!/ They symbol of world!") In other news, Tanyon Sturtze still [hearts] New York, Randy Johnson has a crush on our catcher, and George Steinbrenner is angry.

5/6/2005 2:49:00 PM by Mike Miliard | Comments [0] |  

For the first time in a while, Sox Blog is feeling optimistic -- cautiously so -- about this team of ours.

We got it done again last night. And we did it with old dudes! As the Globe's Chris Snow points out, our New York nemeses are "making near-daily concessions to age and expectation." Meanwhile, the Red Sox, no spring chickens, keep plugging away, staying put in second place even as we're missing two of our biggest -- in both senses of the word -- starting pitchers, and even as some of our loudest bats have gone eerily quiet. (Manny Ramirez was hitless again last night, and so was David Ortiz, who seems unnerved by the shift everyone's suddenly subjecting him to.)

Still, we've won four out our last five, and we're making do, more or less, with what we've got at the moment. 38-year-old Tim Wakefield looked good yet again, scattering 10 hits over seven innings for just three earned runs. His knuckler seems to be doing the trick, and his 2.97 ERA is still good for the top ten in the American League. 39-year-old Mike Timlin continued to channel his '03 post-season by pitching a hitless eighth, dropping his ERA to a tidy 1.23. And Keith Foulke looks to be getting his act together, too; last night he only gave up a single (to flu-stricken pinch-hitter Dmitri Young) instead of a homer. When you're trying to save a one run game, that's rather important.

Meanwhile, the worries earlier this season about the deleterious effects all those extracurricular activities might have on Johnny Damon's swing keep receding in the rear view. The man is en fuego, batting a robust .371 (.481 (25 for 52) with 10 runs scored, five doubles, a triple, a home run, and 13 RBIs over his latest 11-game hitting streak). Even Renteria is building up his batting average, slowly, and while he's made some ugly errors in recent evenings, last night he nailed a couple defensive plays with force, precision and balletic grace. And be it known that Kevin Youkilis isn't planning on going back to Rhode Island. He further cemented his place on the big club, going 2 for 3 last night, and driving in the winning run in the eighth. He's 6 for 13 with five walks since being called up the second time. I like ya kid, ya got spunk.

And, while it's incredibly foolish to be counting on him as any sort of savior, it's certainly not bad news that Wade Miller, at last, will be pitching at Fenway against the Mariners on Sunday. He's looked good down in Pawtucket, even though he's had to change his delivery somewhat since his shoulder injury last season. Judging from the handful of clips I've seen of him pitching this spring, I agree with Kevin Paul DuPont, who said on NESN last night that something about his mechanics looks off, awkward somehow. Still, if he can make it work, that's good for us.

In other news, Chris House and Matthew Donovan, the fans who went mano a mano with Gary Sheffield in the right field stands a few weeks back, won't be charged with anything. Good. Even though House is a certifiable moron for attempting to interfere with a ball in play, and deserves to have his season's tickets revoked, I'm still of the mind, after watching the replay ad nauseum, that there was no malicious intent in his arm motion. (If there was, he'd be looking at Sheffield, not toward the infield.) Neither he nor Donovan -- who allegedly tossed a beer at the right fielder -- deserved to face any criminal charges.

And the Herald has a heartbreaking story about the tragedy that continues to befall Carl Yastrzemski. The death of his son Michael at age 44 from complications during surgery hit Yaz hard. Now he's being hounded by creditors and collections agents as he deals with the realization that Michael left behind thousands of dollars in bad debt -- often applying for credit cards by impersonating his father. "There was an IRS lien for $46,000 in unpaid taxes and thousands in credit card charges," the story reports. "Last March, a judge ordered Yaz to pay MBNA $28,380 -- a debt he contends his son ran up without his knowledge." God help him.

On a lighter note: George Steinbrenner's thoroughbred, Bellamy Road, is a 5-2 favorite for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday. At least that gives Big Boss Man something to smile about. But wait till the race is run, and the turtlenecked one has no more diversions -- and all the time in the world to think about this and this and this and this.

Sparks will fly and heads will roll! You'll laugh and you'll cry (with laughter). Get your front row seat now. The Bombers have dropped 13 of their last 20 games, and tonight they play the terrible Tampa Bay Devil Rays for last place in the American League East.

You crazy Pinstripers ... don't ever change.

5/5/2005 12:03:00 PM by Mike Miliard | Comments [0] |  

Do the Red Sox read Sox Blog? I never would have dreamed they do, but apparently that's the case. Every suggestion and request I made in yesterday evening's post was answered in the affirmative last night.

Trot Nixon dropped his appeal and sat for the first of two games against a lefty hurlers.

Pitching? Spot-starter John Halama had a serviceable outing, giving us five innings with two earned runs on four hits. And the bullpen held down the fort, with Matt Mantei turning in a hitless inning, Mike Timlin going two with just a hit, and Keith Foulke closing it out. (But not before -- again! -- surrendering a home run. This one was about as fluky as they get, however, a chest-high fastball that Marcus Thames just crushed. Bad luck? Let's hope.)

And they even hit with runners in scoring position. Dougie "Stud Who Hits Bombs" Mirabelli, doing his duty as designated hitter, took care of all that with one lethal swing, delivering a sublime grand slam in the fifth.

Meanwhile, in Gotham, Pedro Martinez and Doug Mientkiewicz got their rings.

Speaking of New York: Sox Blog seldom indulges in schadenfreude, but the mess the Yankees are in is just too comical to ignore. The only thing that would make it all more enjoyable would be if our team could somehow climb out of third place while they stayed mired in fourth.

So, since it's now apparent that the Sox cater to my wishes, I hereby command them to go on a 10-game win streak. Step to it.

5/4/2005 10:32:00 AM by Mike Miliard | Comments [0] |  

I admire your principled stance, Trot, and I think you got a raw deal. But don't you think you should just sit tonight and tomorrow and get it done with? It'd be better for the team. That's my two cents. I'll shut up now.

David McCarty -- lefty pitcher, righty hitter, and supersub first-baseman -- is officially off the team.

''Dave's a first-class guy and we appreciate all his contributions to the Red Sox,'' Epstein said. ''This was a difficult decision and we did it in the best interests of the ballclub. We will do everything we can to have Dave help another major league team.''McCarty did not join the Red Sox on their trip to Detroit.

I shan't forget your walk-off against J.J. Putz at the Mariners game last Memorial Day, buddy. Godspeed. (And does this mean we've seen the last "Dave's Diegesis"?)

John Halama goes tonight in Detroit. Maybe he can last five or six innings, and leave us in as decent shape as Jeremi Gonzalez did last night. And maybe our bullpen can then keep us in the game. And maybe we can hit with runners in scoring position, sending a guy or two home when the bases are loaded and there are no outs. Maybe.

A guy can dream, can't he?

5/3/2005 4:49:00 PM by Mike Miliard | Comments [0] |  

It was a great weekend -- if you only count Saturday and Sunday. Let's just try to forget Friday night's horrific loss and consider the positives.

Saturday's 9-2 romp after a three-game skid was a godsend. It's been said before, and will be again, but Bronson Arroyo is a stud. Nothing seems to phase him. He never loses his composure on the mound, and he's pitching pretty much lights-out. During the playoffs last year, Curt Schilling said that "the kid" has "nuts the size of Saturn." Bronson proved it again by playing the stopper Friday night, going seven strong and allowing just two runs on five hits. The guy hasn't lost a game since August 15th of last year, and the Sox are 13-1 in his past 14 starts. Read that sentence again. The offense looks to be clicking, too. Johnny Damon went yard for the first time this season, and Trot Nixon -- who's fitting into the #2 spot quite nicely thanks, hitting .290 with 17 walks and a .427 OBP -- did the same immediately after. The team batted around in the eighth, and Jason Varitek, who's gone deep more often (6 times) so far than I think anyone had right to expect him to, put an exclamation point on the whole thing with a homer in the ninth.

Yesterday was a little more interesting, but at least it was a win. There should be a new stat invented for Matt Clement: YAIP (years added per inning pitched). I think I aged about a decade and a half yesterday, peeking through parted fingers as he tried desperately to find the strike zone over six innings. It was worst in the early-going; but despite throwing 55 pitches in the first two innings with only 27 being called for strikes, despite three walks, hit batsman and wild pitch in those same two frames, Clement buckled down admirably. Thanks to a badly needed double play in the sixth (after a nightmarish error by still-shaky Edgar Renteria had blown one DP attempt to load the bases earlier), he escaped with a quality start. Again, the offense was potent, with every starter getting a hit. (After going four for eight with a double, three RBIs and two walks this weekend, Kevin Youkilis seems to be saying emphatically that he'd like to stay put.) Still, Keith Foulke -- who appeared to be back in form after his two-strikeout, 1-2-3 inning on Saturday -- managed to put the fear in us again, giving up a base hit to David Dellucci and a two-run homer to Mark Teixeira in the ninth. Like Clement, he sacked-up and buckled down to get the final out. 6-5, for the first series win in Texas in five years. I'll take it.

Tonight, we head to Detroit, and Terry Francona will be back at the helm after his three-game suspension. A good thing, since he looked miserable watching the game from a high-up perch in the press box yesterday. (Incidentally, if any NESN cameramen are reading this: When someone is picking his nose that lustily, you should cut away, not linger for what feels like 20 excruciating seconds. Thanks.)

Jeremi Gonzalez, just called up from Pawtucket, goes tonight against Jeremy Bonderman. Curt Schilling he ain't, but the fact that Comerica is renowned as a pitcher's park with hopefully help him out.

1B
Peter Gammons wrote on Sunday that the Sox "are very encouraged by the maturity of [Pawtucket] catcher Kelly Shoppach" and that he "could be midseason trade bait when and if Boston tries to deal for a first baseman." Presumably, he wrote that before news came down that we'd signed John Olerud to a minor league deal. (Instead, maybe Shoppach can help out as part of a mid-season deal for Roger Clemens -- a move Dan Shaughnessy boldly predicted last night on 7 Sports Extra.) The Olerud deal -- a $750,000 salary -- is an interesting move, with seemingly very little downside. If he can come back strong from his injury, he'll be a good back-up for Kevin Millar (who, Sox Blog would like to remind, is welcome to hit a home run any time he sees fit). He's lefty bat who can still spray some lethal singles and does decently enough with the glove.

We'll need him, too, since it looks like the David McCarty era may be officially over. To make room on the roster for Gonzalez, the Globe's Chris Snow writes today, McCarty will "either will be traded, released, or placed on waivers. If he's put on waivers and if he clears, McCarty has the option of going to Triple A Pawtucket or becoming a free agent." Don't quote me on this, but I think I've heard McCarty say that he's not interested in returning to the minors. Might a front office job be in the future for this 35-year-old Stanford grad?

Etc.
* Today the official Red Sox site has an interesting article about Johnny Damon, in which he indicates that retiring isn't out of the realm of possibility once his contract is up after this season. (Presuming that the Sox don't meet his terms, which seems likely.) It's the first time I've heard him talk that way. Obviously, the jet-setting author/actor/underwear shill wouldn't be at a loss for things to do. I also liked this quote. (Will he keep his word? We'll see...)

"There's no way I can go play for the Yankees, but I know they are going to come after me hard," Damon said. "It's definitely not the most important thing to go out there for the top dollar, which the Yankees are going to offer me. It's not what I need."

* In the Herald, Michael Silverman profiles Red Sox massage therapist Russell Nua. I'd never heard of him either. But he sounds very cool, and it certainly seems like he did yeoman's work in keeping the guys -- as David Wells is wont to say -- "loosey goosey" during the postseason last year.

* Exciting news over at Hart Brachen's Soxaholix: a new character!

* Now that Foulke seems, hesitantly, to be finding his groove again, it's probably safe to wear this wicked-cool new t-shirt we've recently been seeing around Fenway Park.



(If you don't get the reference, it's a take off of the skull logo for Danzig, whose menacing "Mother" is Foulkie's entrance music. Sox Blog heard recently that Keith has also strolled to the mound to the strains of "Die, Die, My Darling" by the Misfits, but has a hard time believing it. If anyone can confirm, please let us know.)

It's even better than those "Ortiz Has a Posse" t-shirts, the loving Shepard Fairey homages hawked by Sully's Tees around the park last season. Those aren't being made any more, since Major League Baseball served Sully's with a cease and desist over the off-season -- apparently so they could then step