sharing Sox

i officially & unashamedly *love* Kevin Cash now:
Wakefield and Terry Francona gave kudos to catcher Kevin Cash, who caught Wakefield in Doug Mirabelli absence (on the disabled list). "I thought he did a great job," said Wakefield. "I was very comfortable with him back there. I knew he would settle down after the first inning (a passed ball)."
Extra Bases

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welcome to late August-into-September, where we pace paths into our carpets, yell at the tv, and buy stock in Tums:
We are now off on our longest road trip of the season that will see us close out with 3 games in NY. The race is now too close to say any series is do or die or any game is more important than any other. At this point in the season if you can’t play every out, inning and game like it’s your last you are headed for early October tee times.
Curt Schilling, "38 Pitches"

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this makes perfect sense (to me anyway) why Gagne does not look like the same pitcher in a Sox uniform:
But anyway, I mean, I get it now. God said, "You guys can have one bad-ass closer and one guy who's good enough that he'd probably be the closer on most other teams, but you can't have three closers. It's greedy." And now we're being punished.

and i knew he caught three straight games, but when you say it like this... ::shakes head in amazement::
Tek: is no spring chicken either, but somehow manages to catch 26 (!!!) innings in 24 hours.
papel-blog

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i wanna keep him forever.
1. The Metro article on the ten-year anniversary of the trade that brought Derek Lowe and Oh Captain Comma My Captain Jason Varitek to the Red Sox included this amazing photograph of 25 year old Tek, who, minus the facial hair, doesn't really look that different than 35 year old Tek. You kind of get the impression that Tek came out of the womb looking about 32, and, of course, telling the obstetrician to get his ass down to first base.


and this just slayed me. sometimes the truth is just plain funny.
6. While on the phone with Katie, I said, "Do you have anything to add about the trade deadline?" And she said, "Not really. The usual." And I said, "Matt Clement?" And she said, "Bucket of balls, your mom, a cup of coffee. Change for a cup of coffee. That dead rat I saw in the street on my way to work today. They're all interchangeable."
papel-blog

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on Rog-ah:
1) Thanks goodness he's finally in the twilight of his career there and not here...

and remember how long that whole Barry* nonsense seemed to take, while we were painfully force fed every single ever loving moment of Bonds when he so much as looked at a baseball bat? i didn't really want to relive it, much less make mention of it in my blog, but that last part about Selig... too could to pass up.
2. I'm not saying this Barry Bonds "chase" is dragging, but by the time he gets to 756, his ubiquitous daughter is going to be married with a family of her own, Greg Anderson will have escaped from Alcatraz or wherever he's rotting away with his misplaced loyalty, and Bud Selig and his snap-on toupee will have long since gone to the great used-car lot in the sky.
Touching All the Bases

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see? glass half full, folks! ;-)
It would also be nice if the offense wanted to get in on the fun and score some damn runs already but honestly, how many times this season can we have that discussion? Doesn't it feel like we're always going, "We have no run support, oh nooooes!" I suppose that's better than, "God, I hate third place," or "You know what would really jazz things up around here? Vests!" So I guess it could always be worse.
Basegirl

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Wakabelli, 4-ever. (except now he has some Kevin Cash, you know... *if*...)
The Sox hold a $4 million option on Wakefield's contract next season. If they exercise it, there will be another option added for the following season. He also has performance bonuses for number of starts.

If Wakefield returns, he said, he hopes Mirabelli will be back as well.

"He'd better," Wakefield said. "I was ticked he wasn't coming back two years ago, and this year he was a free agent. Nothing against Josh [Bard], he did a good job, but he's not Doug."
Extra Bases

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ok, we all know i'm still pulling for Gagne to get it together when we need him most, so even though i think this is a little harsh (fine. it's also true. brutal reality.), but i love this. "Lugo" is now a verb. LOL!
Gagne, who Lugo'd two games for us in this series...
A Red Sox Fan in Pinstripe Territory

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oh yeah... Dougie's little moment of "crap! did i tag up??" i love that my boys have a sense of humor.
How did Doug Mirabelli’s teammates respond after his baserunning blunder cost Boston a run in the sixth when the score was still tied at 3-all?

Well, says manager Terry Francona, every time a fly ball was hit after that, Eric Hinske would offer some good-natured ribbing by yelling, "Tag!"
Surviving Grady

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reality check:
Any other year, we would be giddy with a five-game lead and the best record in baseball, but this season it just isn't enough.
Surviving Grady

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LOL! i miss Remy & Don when i am stuck with road announcers.
"If you have good pitching and good defense, you have a good team. Tampa Bay has neither." (Don Orsillo)
Basegirl

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remember how the Sox lead in the AL East was dwindling from double digits, and lots of Sox fans were convinced the world was ending? how right was Tito?
Tito on the gloom-and-doomers: "People dropping off bridges are going to miss some good baseball. They'd better climb back up."
The Joy of Sox

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Jonathan Papelbon rocks. in case you didn't know.
Nick Cafardo wants you to know that Jonathan Papelbon wants you to know that he's got a new pitch. It's called the slutter: He threw Jonny Gomes a "slutter." That's what Jonathan Papelbon calls his new pitch -- a combination cut fastball and slider.
papel-blog

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and in case that last quote didn't prove it to you, and you need more evidence that Jon not only rocks, but he *rocks*:
Tonight on the postgame show I heard two things which amazed me: the use of the phrase, "Vintage Papelbon", and that Papelbon has saved 30 games for two consecutive seasons, the first time anyone has ever done that in the history of the Red Sox. And he made that mark in grand fashion, getting four outs on four strikeouts. Four filthy, nasty, wonderful strikeouts for our Precious...
Cursed to First