gloom & doom

let's talk about how much i hate the Yankees.
actually, maybe we can't. there aren't ways to measure anything that large.

so instead we can talk about Friday:

1. just the anticipation of a Matsuzka game makes me feel sick. i was sipping ginger ale an inning and a half into Friday's game. i wish i were kidding. (not sure if it was really the pitching or something i ate, but i ate the leftovers for lunch on Saturday & my stomach was fine, so draw your own conclusions.)

2. one of the few things that made Friday's game any easier to watch was the Captain Intangibles error and the sloppy Giambi defense.

3. speaking of Greasy McSquarehead... he really is the nastiest, scummiest, ugliest player in baseball. and they insist on showing him close up at least 42 times each game.

4. seeing Timlin walk out of the bullpen last season, i was dying a thousand deaths. this year he's back to being The Killer. this outing aside.

5. Friday night's game was four hours and 39 minutes long (i've heard varying reports on the minutes, but close enough). or for a comparison: the Phillies and Mets started their game at the same time the Sox and Yankees did. we were in the top of the sixth inning in Boston when the Phillies/Mets game went final -- in a *ten* inning game.

6. we learned two things Friday night, i believe: a) what happens to Oki when he throws more pitches than he ever has in a single season. and b) what happens when you take your closer & ask him to pitch the eighth inning instead. kinda gives you a little more sympathy for Eric Gagne and what we've asked him to do, doesn't it? ::shrugs:: it does for me anyway. and for the record, Gagne didn't allow things to get worse when he pitched the ninth.

or we could talk about Saturday:

1. Youk getting hit on the wrist was a good thing for Saturday's game, in that it seemed to fire up the Sox & unleash the fury of the bats... but i believe it will prove to be a terrible thing down the stretch. much as i love Hinske's enthusiasm, even slumping, Youk's bat is more potent.

2. Joshy is the only starting pitcher in the rotation right now that doesn't make me want to hide. Commander Kick Ass, indeed. nineteen wins.

3. Saturday made Friday's loss fade from memory.

4. much as Hinkse doesn't always come through with the bat, i have to believe he bowled over Posada & knocked him silly in defense of Youk, because he was out at the plate by a mile, and it might as well count for something. a nice clean hit which Jorge asked for when he blocked the plate. that makes me love Hinske even more.

*or* how about Sunday:

1. Battle of the Old Wind Bags. i thought they pitched an even game. the battle was actually won when Torre out-managed Francona by pulling his wind bag while ours remained in & gave up a huge home run.

2. one of these days JD Drool is going to kill Pedroia Pocket. i know he sometimes has the right to the ball, as the outfielder, but he has to open his mouth & *call* it already -- loudly -- or everyone is going to keep trying for it. let's review, Drool: you = big, Pocket = wee. big beats wee if you step on him & squash his wee self.

3. OMG it was 55 degrees in Boston when the game *started*. it was EIGHTY in Florida. 55... holy brrrr...

4. only thing i enjoyed about this game was that Joba has given up his first earned run *and* his first home run at the hands of He Who Really Needs A New Contract In Boston. (Mike Lowell, if you're just joining in here.)

5. another good inning from Gagne. i refuse to believe it's because it's a losing situation. i credit it to pitching in the ninth, like he's used to doing. after all, if he were as bad as he appeared his first bit in Boston, he would have given up more runs & dug us into a deeper hole, right?

6. Sunday's. game. stunk. not only did we lose. not only did we lose to The Nemesis. i saw something that scared me. our offense cannot get the job done. i know that they managed to come back & lose by only a run. but they left bases loaded with two outs & Papi up. any other year, we would have seen a walk-off. this year, nothing. we cannot win late comebacks. we cannot stop stranding runners. we cannot stop wasting loaded base opportunities. it's depressing. and what's even scarier is how obvious it is now that our pitching was what carried us all season... and it's fizzling out right before our very eyes...

or we can talk about what happened last night:

1. McGowan has some serious sideburns. they're just like the ones my dad had when i was born some almost 31 years ago.

2. Remy made me laugh. he was trying to score the Sox game but also switch over & enjoy some Patriots on Sunday night (Remy is a football fan!! i love it!) but with all the scoring the Patriots accomplished, Remy was dumbfounded that he didn't see a single one.

3. Frank Thomas needs to retire. =P or Wakefield needs to stop leaving fat pitches hanging in suspended animation right over the center of the plate.

in all fairness, i think Wake is not at 100% he is not the same pitcher from before the back troubles. and that scares me. our rotation is as follows: Commander Kick Ass. The Hundred Million Dollar Nightmare. Schill, who is suddenly eluded by the ability to win. Wakefield, who went from dominating to oh-so-hittable, damn that fickle knuckleball. and Lestah, with his control issues. our bullpen is wearying. our offense is dead. we are minus Manny. Youk's return is unknown.

but all of that doesn't scare me as much as one single thing:

last night, the Red Sox looked apathetic. last night, they looked like they just wanted the season to end so they could go home. i don't know what to do with that. how am i supposed to want them to win the whole thing if they don't want it themselves?? this was supposed to be our big chance. the Yankee had two stints with Baltimore, who despite all its other troubles, has been able to embarrass the Evil Empire mightily this season. after last night's loss in Toronto, and the Yankees' win, the Red Sox lead is a mere three-and-a-half games.

and they looked completely uninspired.

how far can a team with no desire to win go in October, even if they are all but guaranteed a spot in the post season? call it gloom & doom. or call it years of disappointment that's been bred into my bloodlines. but i need them to look hungry. i need them to give me a reason to believe. we need to stop this crash-and-burn right.freaking.now.

what we need is Kevin Millar.