Bucs done, but Pokes roasted

I wasn't going to post today, but its been awhile now, sooooo here it goes:

The Bucs lost their last 4 games to wipe out any post season play. It all culminated with yesterday's disasterous loss to the lowly (read: sucky) Raiders, 31-24. The pain from coughing up yet another 4th quarter lead pales to the potential serious injury Carnell "Cadillac" Williams suffered yesterday to his left (read: other) knee. The Bucs had the lead, were driving, and Cadillac was finishing off a great run when it happened. After that, the air seemed to go right out of the Bucs as the drive stalled, the defense gaped open for Micheal Bush of the Raiders to score on a long run, and Garcia tossed an INT the next time the Bucs got the ball. Horrific all around.

The head coach takes the hit when things like this happen, and rightly so since he's the guy in charge and its his staff. All of this did seem to go sour when it became known that Monte Kiffen was leaving to coach with his son at Tennessee. Couldn't all of that waited until the end of the season? I guess not. Anyway, they sucked, and it all sucks.

The Bucs loss early in the afternoon left me to watch the Cowboys meltdown against the Eagles. At least the Bucs showed some remorse for their sad showing. The Cowboys just seemed glad that it was over, and basically just quit.

Blue Devils get better

After having to wait around for a week and a half following their loss to Michigan, the Blue Devils finally took the floor again last night. Coach K started the second team and kept them out on the floor until the first TV time out. The talking heads seemed to think this was some master stroke and made a big deal out of it, but Coach K usually does this a time or two every year. It serves a double purpose. First it gives the second team guys acknowledgement for their hard work and hustling in practice, letting them know they are important and not just pine riders. They are needed and this reminds them.

Secondly, it usually wakes up the starters. Last night was Singlers first time to not start in something like 55 games. Coach expects hard nosed play and hustle every play, every game, every time you go out there. The second team plays hard because they don't get to do it as often and they want to prove themselves. The starters begin to feel like they are "the man" and start slacking off, feeling they've already achieved their starting position. Thats not so at Duke. Play hard, play with heart, or sit on the bench. Its that simple. The Dukies did that last night to the tune of a 99-56 win over UNC-Asheville. On Saturday, the team makes the trip up to the Meadowlands to play Xavier in what should be a good road test.

Probably by now you've seen the 2009 NFL Pro Bowl rosters. Barrett Ruud is noticably absent, but its nice that Derrick Brooks and Clifton Smith made it. TBO has a good feature on Clifton making the Pro Bowl. He's really been a weapon for the Bucs on Special Teams this season.

I saw this story on Deadspin about a guy suing a couple of Bucs for apparently beating him up at an IHOP in October. Michael Bennett is no long with the team and Anthony Davis....well....haven't seen hide or hair of him this season with the offensive line improvement. I'll try not to judge before all the facts come out, but at least its not a big distraction with someone who actually plays significantly every week.

And finally, its good to see someone who got screwed over inappropriately make it good, even better, despite the setback. Robert Flores was a sports reporter for the new station KEYE in Austin years ago. He got railroaded out of town for saying the "F word" in a priliminary taped segment for a morning sports update when someone made a very loud noise on set. After being reduced to a local radio gig for a couple of months, he got hired on with ESPN and is doing pretty well now.

Bucs Playoff Scenarios

The Bucs lost a tough one in Atlanta Sunday. The defense played alot better obviously than they did the previous Monday night against the Panthers. It is amazing that no NFC South team has won on the road in the division this season. Brian Griese filled in ok for Jeff Garcia, but the team really missed having a mobile QB back there. Griese just couldn't seem to move his feet to escape pressure and it really cost the Bucs late in the game.

Just the same, the Bucs still control their own destiny in the playoff run. With the Chargers and Raiders coming to RJS over the next two weeks, they should be able to make the Playoffs, and hopefully the Cowboys will fade. Here's a good breakdown of the Bucs playoff scenarios and what all needs to happen for the Bucs to still even win the Division. Its not over yet!*

*C'mon Jeff! Get well, Bro!

Oh, and a note from yesterday. Greg White has legally changed his name to Stylez G. White. Fans of the 80's "Teen Wolf" Micheal J. Fox movie unite!

New road unis

I guess I should mention the releasing of the Red Sox new road uniforms yesterday. I'm pretty impartial to it all - except to the new alternate road cap. I'm not too keen on just the "Two Socks" look on the cap replacing the Boston "B". Here's the most pictures of the unveiling that I can find courtesy of the Texas Gal at Centerfield.

On the Bucs front, because its still Football season even though the Hot Stove is heating up for baseball, they've got a big game in Atlanta Sunday. We took these guys down 24-9 on Sept. 14th, and I think (hope) we can do it again. With a Buc win and some losing in the NFC East, the Bucs can clinch at least a playoff spot this week. Here's to not taking this down to the last weekend Bucs.

Still after clinching early last year and resting guys thus resulting in a loss to the Giants, it may not be a bad idea to remain competitive through week 17. Of course, after last Monday night, we'll need to push hard to win the division now. That should keep things rolling as long as we can stay/get healthy.

Bucs-Chargers 'flexed' for Week 16

The Week 16 game between the Bucs and Chargers in Tampa has been moved from Sunday night to afternoon, being replaced by the Panthers and Giants. Its apart of the 'Flex' option for the night telecasts later in the season. I don't have a problem with it really. It seems the Bucs play better during the day anyway.

Tired Tuesday

Not much to comment today on last nights Bucs game or the Duke loss to Michigan the other day. Losses happen. We don't like them, but they're bound to happen. If you team won everytime out, sports would be boring and the players wouldn't be as motivated. We're still in the Playoff hunt, although its looking more like a Wildcard spot. We'll know in 2 weeks when the Panthers meet the Giants. After last night's broadcast, you'd think the Panthers were the best team ever according to ESPN.

Speaking of ESPN's broadcast in Carolina, I will say this Carolina Fans, you guys are schmucks. Pretty soon, you'll be right up there with the Eagles and Terrapin fans in being assholes. What's the deal with chunking stuff at Steve Young during the ESPN post game last night. Show some class you drunk bastards.

The broadcast crew was horrid last night. I came to realize how little I watched Monday Night Football and Countdown this season with these guys. There was pathetic analysis and lame commentary from beginning to end. I used to think Cornhieser was somewhat funny and entertaining, but not anymore. This guy has really turned into a dumbass boob. ESPN has got to do SOMETHING to improve on this product next season. Please?????

Pedroia gets extension

The Red Sox signed our favorite second baseman to a 6 yr./40.5 million contract extension today with a club option for 2015. I think its a great move to lock him up long term and I'm thrilled he'll be making the turns at the 2B bag and cranking shots off the Green Monster for years to come. Congrads to the 2007 RoY and 2008 MVP!

Habitat for Humanity Super Build

Warrick Dunn has always been a great player to watch play for the Bucs on the football field. What has impressed me more through the years is the community work in the Tampa area that he kept up despite moving to play for the Falcons in Atlanta. Now he's back in Tampa and they've got a thing going called "SuperBuild" that is pretty cool. Check it out and contribute if you wish. Several former Bucs are involved in this thesedays which builds houses for family's that can't afford one. They're looking to have one built Super Bowl Sunday and have five completed that week. That is really cool!

Boilers Bowled

Whew did the Dukies look good last night, or what? They trounced the Boilermakers 76-60 on their home court with all of the Purdue-ians looking on. It wasn't even that close most of the contest as the Blue Devils played outstanding defense and smart basketball nearly the entire game. Very impressive indeed! The boulder is rollin' now!

Hype Boiling for Tonight

Purdue and Duke play tonight. The Boilermakers have won all of the previous matchups (4-0) between the teams, though it isn't like these guys play every season or anything like that. The Dukies haven't lost in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge (9-0), so somethings got to give. The Purdue practices apparently have been taken up a notch and tickets are hard to get and pricey. Purdue students have been camping out for them. What do they think this is.....Duke-UNC?

It should be a good road test for the young 'uns, but I think the depth and pace should get to the Boilermakers, and the Dukies should get out of there with a win. Bob Knight says it usually takes 10 games to figure out what you got and where you are as a team. We'll know alot on where things are after tonight. Tip time 8:00PM on ESPN.

Sniff, Cough, Yak, etc.

I've been fighting a cold for the past week, and now the wife is coming down with it. Despite all of that, there's some updates:

The Bucs won over the Saints yesterday, 23-20 in the wet and cold. So much for the idiot's article about the Saints winning the South and the Bucs falling out of it. Like I've said, the division will go down to next Monday night's game in Carolina.

Jon Gruden won his 100th game as a coach becoming just the 3rd youngest (45) to do so. John Madden (41) and Bill Cowher (44) were the only others to do it younger.

The Bucs will host the Patriots on October 25, 2009 in London, England next season. They'll play at Wembley Stadium, home of the also Glazer-owned Manchester United. The Saints beat the Chargers there earlier this season.

ESPN is reporting Monte Kiffen, the Bucs defensive coordinator, will being moving on to join his son, Lane Kiffen, at Tennessee after the Bucs season is done. Geez, I hope not, but looks like it might be so. Monte wasn't talking much about it yesterday, calling it "speculation".

And wasn't it great to see Cadillac Williams score yesterday for the first time in what seems like forever. Its good to have him back and off blocks.

Oh, and the Blue Devils romped over Duquesne last Friday. They matchup against #10 Purdue tomorrow night at 8:00CST on ESPN as apart of the ACC-Big Ten challenge. Its on the Boilermakers home court so they should pose quite a challenge for the Dukies.

Article to Remember

I'm posting this SI article here because I want to have it to reference when the dipshit is wrong. I can't believe people get paid to write such garbage. National coverage has really suffered from the internet, while local has gotten alot better. This dude can kiss my ass if he thinks the Bucs are just going to fall out of the Playoff picture, just because he says so. Hopefully the Bucs knock off the Saints this week and put this guy's B.S. out in the dung pile where it belongs.

Nice wins

The Blue Devils knocked off Montana by 20 yesterday. I hadn't heard that Paulus hurt his forearm so Smith had to take up the slack at point. Apparently, the squad did well anyway in a game that I don't think could be seen too far from Durham on TV.

The Bucs laid an egg in the first quarter and got down 17-0 before roaring out in the 2nd to take the lead before halftime. A punt return by Clifton Smith and a INT return by Ronde pretty much sealed the deal after that for a 38-20 win. It was a nice victory, ugly in some ways, but a win none the less. 8-3 is nothing to sniff at, and with the Falcons downing the Panthers, the Bucs are tied for the division lead.

Oh, and I love how the Cowboys beat a team they were supposed to in the 3-8 49ers, and now they are back and the press is preaching how good they are now. If it wasn't for the slumping Redskins and the referees against the Bucs, they'd be dead in the water. So, now they face Seattle, another team they are supposed to beat and we'll have to listen to all the bullshit about how they've turned it around, not mentioning they really haven't played anybody good to get those wins. I guess that'll be ok though because I see at least two more losses for them in the near future - the Giant and Steelers. They might make it three, but hey, I'm not an talking head expert on TV.

Devils take the 2K

The Blue Devils coasted rather easily over Michigan tonight for the 2K Championship, 71-56. The two teams will matchup again on the Wolverine's floor December 6th, so we'll see them again. Next up for the Dukies is Montana on Sunday @ noon CST. They played well tonight with solid efforts all around. It looks like the team is beginning to gel some now and get into a groove. Let's hope that continues.

Duke gets it rollin'

After another slow start with a crapload of turnovers in the first half, the Dukies got it going in the second half against Southern Illinois last night to win 83-58 at Madison Square Garden. Here's some highlights and behind the scenes goodness courtesy of Blue Planet:



The Blue Devils take on the Michigan Wolverines, who upset #4 UCLA last night, in the Chamionship game of the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches Versus Cancer tournament. Tip is at 6:30 CST on ESPN2.

Coco to KC and Bucs IR grows

It appears via MLB's Hot Stove Report that Coco Crisp has been traded to Kansas City for reliever Ramon Ramirez. That adds depth to the bullpen and clears up some of the log jam in the outfield. Personally, I like the move. Can a trade of Lugo to the Tigers be next? It would be nice to add Robertson to the starting staff.

Earnest Graham and Geno Hayes were placed on Injured Reserve today. The Bucs brought back LB Matt McCoy and signed RB Noah Herron to the team to fill the roster. It looks like more work for the Caddy and Dunn this week. At least it is against the Lions. Yeah, it'll probably come down to a last second field goal by Bryant. Like the wife says, "The Bucs can never make it easy, can they?" Not usually, but lets hope they do this week.

Stupid writer, but thats not a real shock...is it?

I was reading more on Pedroia's MVP award win and came across this quote from Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News in an article from bostondirtdogs.com. He was the only writer not to include Pedie on his ballot...at all:

Morneau and Youkilis were the only players named on all ballots. Pedroia was left off one ballot entirely -- by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, who gave Youkilis his first-place vote.

"Obviously, I was wrong in my opinion in this situation," Grant told the Globe's Tony Massarotti. "This year, I think I may have tended to value power numbers over the intangibles. I may have focused too much on the statistical analysis. As I continued to weigh that, Dustin dropped further and further on my list, but I think what was proven today was that I was wrong."

What a dumbass! Here's an even more focused article on his gaffe. I guess the guy is used to talking down to Jerry Jones' level.

M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!

Dustin Pedroia was named 2008 AL Most Valuable Player today! How 'bout dem apples! Way to go Pedie, and well deserved.

He Gave Plenty

John Lynch retired yesterday. One of his key ponderings was if he gave the game as much as it gave him. I think he gave it more than enough. The NFL wouldn't have been the same without John Lynch around. Now he heads off to work for FOX starting this weekend with the Minnesota-Jacksonville game. To #47, all the best!

Ole #47 to retire

Word out of One Buc Place is a news conference has been scheduled for 3:00pm Monday when John Lynch will announce his retirement as a Buccaneer. It was just last month when Mike Alstott was honored, now its time to start planning one for John. Salute to #47. Definitely one of the greats!

I miss Sports Night

It doesn't seem that long ago, but there once was a TV Show called "Sports Night". It was a late 90's show that was written by Aaron Sorkin before he started writing scripts for "The West Wing". I love Sorkin's stuff. It's witty, funny, and offers the actors the challenge of snap quick dialogue and scenes that travels through different sets and rooms. The downside is apparently most of America, and network TV brass, can't keep up with the fast pace. Its too smart for them. People would just rather sit in front of their TVs stoned I guess. (Danny steps down from soapbox).

Kenny Mayne from ESPN has this new digital show, Mayne Street, that is hilarious, with similar tones from the Sports Night days. You can tell that Aaron Sorkin got the idea for Sports Night from watching ESPN Sports Center and seeing the camaraderie between Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick back in the day. Below is the clip from the first episode of Mayne Street which hit home with me....and made me cry....from laughter.



Thanks to Television without Pity, I noticed there is a new DVD set of Sports Night out now with a significant amount of extras and recognition of what a fine show it was. Too bad good shows like this, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip", are still not kept around to provide solid, smart entertainment anymore. I guess there's all that quality television in reality and game shows instead.

Pedie is Silver too!

Dustin Pedroia was honored with the AL Silver Slugger Award at Second Base yesterday. The dude is awesome! Below is a except from the ESPN Mike & Mike show touting Pedroia's MVP song, as well as one for another of the Red Sox too:



Funny stuff!

Durham Regional Champions

Ok, everybody...left to right here....all together now..... "Ooooooo....Ahhhhhh".

Very good! Well done!
Oh, the joy of preseason tournaments. Most, if not all, of the Monster sized schools get to pick on the little guys. The press either over hypes the winners as the best they've seen or hammers them for playing sub-standard competition. This is more evident this time of year in College Football than Basketball, when the RPI comes out for the Big Dance in March. No matter, the Blue Devils put a whuppin' on Georgia Southern last night, 97-54. There.

The only intrigue was whether the Dukies would top the century mark or not. Without some freshman hotdogging by Elliott Williams, they would have. The coaching staff gave him some stern looks after he misfired on a behind-the-back pass across court that would've been an easy assist to Plumlee. The guy looks to be confident and he'll need to be to take on the tough competition in the ACC this winter. But after his 360 dunk on Monday, and the errant pass last night, he should tone it down and focus on making the play, and not showboating. Acts like that are a sure way to get roughed up in conference play down the road. Leave that crap to the buffoons in powder baby blue from Chapel Hill.

Revving up the Caddy

Carnell "Cadillac" Williams has been officially activated off the PUP list today. It was an expected move, and it was just a question of who to drop. Micheal Bennett was that answer. It's hard to believe its been 490 days since he last ran for the Bucs when he injured his knee vs. the Panthers. Now we'll see how it goes since Dunn and Graham are banged up. I got to admit, I'm alittle emotional about it. Its good to see him able to make it back to the field.

Also, I really liked the report on the Veteran's Day Pros-vs-Joes event. As a veteran myself, I know it really means alot to be able to communicate back home and keep up with whats going on with the family, and letting them know you're ok. Kudos to the Bucs brass for hosting the event, and thanks to those out there continuing to protect our freedom.

A Few Red Sox notes

Youk got married the other day. Lester's is in January.

Jon Lester was recieved the 2008 Hutch Award given to the Major League Baseball player who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of baseball great Fred Hutchinson, both on and off the field.

Jacoby Ellsbury was honored with the James "Cool Papa" Bell award as the AL Stolen Base champion.

Red Sox Bench Coach Brad Mills is in Seattle to interview for the Seattle Mariners managerial position. John Farrell is not.

From a week or so ago, Kevin Youkilis won the 2008 AL Hank Aaron Award for the American League's best offensive performance.

The AL MVP should be announced soon, so we just might have another one or few to add to the list later on.

One down

The Blue Devils beat the Blue Hose last night 80-49 in the first game of the college basketball season. They take on Georgia Southern tonight to finish off the Durham region of the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer tournament. Game time is 8:00pm on ESPNU.

I only watched the first half of this one. The kids seemed to play tight and never seemed to get a good rhythm going offensively. I would blame that on first game jitters and pressing alittle too hard to make a statement. The defense was there as Coach K would demand it be. I don't think we'll get a real sense of what this team will be like until they get a couple of games under their belt, and play more together. Then, we'll see the learning and developing process begin to take place as they grow through the season. I love that about college basketball.

Blue Devils get it started Tonight!

The Dukies tipoff the 2008/09 campaign tonight vs. Presbyterian at 6pm CST on ESPNU. The winner tonight matches up tomorrow night at 8pm CST vs. the winner of Georgia Southern and Houston. The tournament is the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches Versus Cancer and the Devils are 0-2 in their history in it.

I'm ready to get the college basketball season started. After following baseball so close this year, there's very little to fill in the gaps during the week. All that was made worse this past week with the Bucs having their bye week. It should be interesting to see the effect, if any, of the 3 point line being moved out further this season. I'm sure we'll still see plenty of 3's from the Dukies. Lets get it started!

Pedie is Golden

Dustin Pedroia was honored with the 2008 Gold Glove at Second Base on Thursday. Since Craig Biggio was my all-time favorite player, it's awesome that my current favorite player can be recognized similiarly. Pedie's quoted courtesy of WEEI:

“I really didn’t think about it,” he said of winning the award. “I take pride in my defense, it’s a huge part of my game. In fact, my biggest (priority) is defense. I need to be extremely important to our pitching staff. I put in a ton of time with Luis Alicea and Alex Cora from Day One. It’s only my second year playing second base. I took extra ground balls every single day and it definitely paid off.”

I hate "bye weeks"

The Bucs are off this weekend. Its good so they can heal up some for the second half of the season, but for their fans, there's no alot going on. Yawn! What else is going on?

Word is that the Dodgers have an offer on the table to Manny Ramirez for $25 million a year. The length of the contract still has to be worked out, and Scott Boras wants to tap a few team GMs on the shoulder first to see if they're willing to pay more for longer.

The Blue Devils won an exhibition game against Lenoir-Rhyne last night, 95-42. Coach K was none too happy with the crowd turnout despite the game's exhibition status. Cameron is like Fenway in the aspect of it's cathedral-ness. If you got tickets, you got to go. Its that big of a deal. College basketball is just around the corner with some of the preseason tournaments to tip off in the next couple of weeks. The Dukies start next Monday vs. Presbyterian in the 2K Sports Classic. Coverage should be on ESPNU at 6pm CST.

Oh, and a congratulations for Cyn, formerly the Red Sox Chick, over at "Toeing the Rubber" for winning the WEEI.com's "Next Great Sports Blogger" contest. She was one of ten finalists and will get to post a blog for WEEI.com. It's great to see good things happen for good people. She's a great and entertaining writer, so check her blogs out.

On the politics front, everyone knows of the historic win by Obama Tuesday night. I, too, was happy with the result. Now lets see if he can start digging us out of the deep hole Bush got us in. Black or white, male or female, it doesn't matter to me as long as you are a strong leader. I think we have one now, and he's got one helluva job ahead of him.

Late Action Weekend

I watched alot of the second half of the UT-Texas Tech game Saturday. It was one of those times where you have to slow down and watch the car wreck. When UT came back and took the lead late in the game, I began to recover from my own shock, and not be worried about all of the Longhorn fans, family, and friends. However, as you probably know, Tech went down and scored a last second TD to beat the then-#1 Longhorns.

Geez, I was really worried about Longhorn fans then, especially my brother-in-law. That was the type of shock that causes fans to hop of bandwagons for the season, if not forever, and some to swear of sports altogether. Thank God there weren't any reports of students jumping off the Congress bridge and people seem to be dealing with it. The therapists in town will probably see a financial bump. At least somebody is these days.

Speaking of shock, the Bucs about did me in Sunday. They had no business winning a game they played so poorly in. All I could say for the majority of the game was WTF is going on. KC isn't that good and they were whuppin' the Bucs in all phases of the game. Luckily, they were able to turn it around and get some drives late for scores, including a late 2 point conversion pass to Alex Smith. His knee really seemed to get twisted there, so hopefully he'll be ok. That had to be one of the weirdest Buc games I can remember. It was definitely a big win to keep close to Carolina, and one we can definitely say was stolen.

Congrads to Coach Gruden for becoming the Bucs all-time winning coach with his 57th victory. Here's to hoping #58 doesn't take very long or be a rough as this past weekend one was.

First Poll....schmoll......blah

The Powder Blues are the preseason pick for #1 in the first ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll of the 2009 college basketball season. Big SHOCK! Duh! Is there a more worthless poll that means as little as this one anywhere? Well, maybe the AP preseason poll, but that isn't out yet. Dukies are ranked at #5.

Turn out the Lights........

Where "Dandy" Don Meredith when you need him..?

That Rays band wagon is alittle lighter tonight after the Phillies won the 2008 World Series 4-1. Yeah, sure, good season and all, but they won't be as surprising next season. Congratulations to the Phillies for taking the crown.
Now, lets put baseball to bed for the winter and see what Theo comes up with in building the team to compete for next years title.

Oh, and I voted today....have you? If I can do it, I know you can. Go get it done and make your picks.

Hump Day

There's not alot to say when the Bucs laid an egg this past Sunday against the Cowpatties, in a game they really should have won. The Cowpukes offense was pathetic with Brad Johnson at the helm. Of course the Bucs played down to their level and were unable to cash in on red zone chances, settling for field goals which always seems to come back to haunt you. The officials did their part by calling some questionable penalties at the end of the first half, four of them to be exact, that contributed tremendously to the Cowboobs scoring the only TD of the game. That turned out to be enough and the difference. Even so, the Bucs should've played better, but thats how the toilet flushes some times.

Sorry for all of the 'crappy' references this round, but it just makes me sick for the Bucs to lay a turd like this against such an inept team. Now, they face the KC Chiefs this week before the bye week. Sounds like a perfect chance to add to the W column. They've had their share of drama lately like Dallas.

Salute to #40

Courtesy Buccaneers.com

Buccaneers.com has posted the halftime ceremony from Sunday night's game vs. the Seahawks, honoring Mike Alstott #40. He's one of my all-time favorite Bucs, as he is for many other fans. Toasts up to the A-Train! Thanks for the memories, and we miss and love you too!

Crossover Sport Fans

For the first time I can remember, which isn't really saying a whole heck of a lot, I had some clashing of fans rooting for a team I support, but against a team in another sport that I like.

See, last night, I was innocently watching NCLS game 7 on TBS and simulateously following the Bucs-Seahawks NFL game on NBC.com, since Time Warner and our NBC affiliate in Austin can't seem to get along. When the Rays went up 2-1 over the Red Sox, there was a cheer that rippled through the RJS crowd and a "Let's Go, Rays!" chant started. Also, there was a delay in the after game news conferences because the Bucs were watching the Rays win over the Red Sox.

Geez, you want to talk about weird. I had to tell myself that of those 40,000 fans that were there in Tropicana Field, 25K were serious bandwagon jumpers. Talk about hopping on at the last minute. The Bucs still had a full house, so no losses there. Our football fans were accounted for apparently.

With both teams from the same area, I can't fault the Buc fans for rooting. Thats ok Gruden, you can say you wanted to watch them before meeting the media. That's alright. I just despise the sudden 'hopping aboard' that so many Tampa baseball fans are doing now, for a team they showed no interest in less than a month ago.

The Rays are young, and just might be able to pull off a World Series title against the Phillies. I don't really care all that much if they do or not. What will be interesting is to see if the sudden Rays following will stay on to support the team in the regular season next year. AL East rivals have been filling the seats in Tampa for years. We'll see if it changes from here on out.

Not enough magic

The Red Sox were able to make Rays fans cry on Saturday with Beckett and the Sox winning Game 6, but it was tears of joy for them on Sunday night as the Rays won Game 7. It was a good year for the Sox, and it was fun following them through it. This was the first year since I jumped aboard the wagon in 2003 that I've followed pro baseball this closely. In the past, I've coached my son in baseball and had other commitments that took a higher precedence. I guess you could say this was the year I swore true allegiance to the Sox. I floundered for a few years, saying "Yeah, they're my team", and this or that, but this is where I went all in.

I did it with the Blue Devils for a couple of years, volleying back and forth between them and the Tar Heels in the mid/late 80's. That was before I knew it couldn't be both. I just grew to respect what the Dukies had going and through my hat into that ring. That's paid off in spades with three National Championships!

With the Bucs, I waivered after swearing off the Cowboys when Jerry Jones let Jimmy Johnson leave the Pokes. (And hired a Sooner no less in Barry Switzer). It was the mid-90s and the Jaguars and Panthers were just starting out. It seemed like a fresh start could be had. (I still have a Jaguar Football t-shirt). I chose the Bucs as my NFC team, but my love grew for what the Glazers and Tony Dungy were building, that I dropped the Jags altogether a year or so later. Now I've dedicatedly followed them since, and enjoyed the great ride of 2002 with a Super Bowl victory.

Now, with the Red Sox, I had still been in that middle ground. I had always followed the Astros, and my favorite player had always been Craig Biggio. However, a year or so ago, I began to notice that he was the only reason I was rooting for the Astros. Once he retired, there was nothing left. Astros managment was ditching all of the prospects for middling players and what I viewed as basically, crap! The Red Sox were my American League team by that time, and I had rooted for them through the Grady debacle, and the two World Series wins. I didn't consider myself neccessarily a bandwagon jumper, but I guess I am. I officially jumped in with both feet this season with no turning back, and spent evenings on the back patio listening to WRKO radiocasts via MLB.com. They didn't win it all, but they'll be back.

Thanks for a great year!

Ex-Cowpatty steppin' in it

Julius Jones, the former Cowboy no less, opened his trap this week, basically calling the defense old with some smack talk. Even if that's not how he meant it, it was how it was percieved that is ALWAYS the detemining factor. Let's just see where this leads, eh, when they take the field Sunday night. Here's to hoping I'm dealing with some conflict issues regarding ALCS Game 7.

Not Dead Yet!

Tonight is why as a sports fan you watch sports! Red Sox were dead in the water into the 7th inning, down 7-0. Bing-Bang-BOOM! Drew's single in the bottom of the 9th scores Youk and the Sox win 8-7. Unbelievable! This game was making me sick, although the TBS announcers were alittle better tonight, so I resorted to following along online via Gameday. I was sprinting for the remote in the 7th to catch the comeback. There's nothing like the heart of a champion. Win or Lose this weekend, I was proud that the Red Sox fought for it. They finally showed some life. That's all I ask of the teams I root for. Now the bags are packed so lets make them sweat in Florida with Beckett and Lester. They've got some making up to do, and there's work to be done. Let's make tonight worth it!

Time to re-group

Unless you've been under a rock (or have already shut down baseball for the year and are totally focus on football), the Red Sox are now down 1-3 in the ALCS. There's already plenty of press out there on the game-to-game lowlights, and lack of pitching and hitting by most of the Sox since Game 1, so I'm not going to repeat it here. Why should I contribute input other than to say its sucked. That says it all. Its not over yet thought.

What sickens me the most this Playoff season is the downright blatant disregard by TBS to provide fair and equal coverage to both teams involved in the series they are covering. Never have I seen, or heard, such a wide disparity of attention in any sports coverage slanted towards one side from a supposed national network. Examples are wide ranging from fluff stories in pregame to play-by-play action to color analysis focusing on things positive towards the Rays, and/or minimal and negative towards the Red Sox. It is pathetic! I could see if the Braves were involved, or even some slant against one of their rivals, but they aren't covering the National League at all. This is the ALCS and sure the Rays are a good story, but give me a break. There are two teams showing up, one that still are defending champions and have had a pretty good year themselves. Just sloughing that off that we already know enough about the Sox and the Rays are the only thing is BS of the highest degree.

Eff you, TBS! Chip, you do a dis-service to your Grandfather and Dad (both whom I respected as great baseball press men and broadcasters), with your over-the-top Rays rooting. I know you sucked last year, and other markets noticed, but I didn't think you'd be this awful. Its hard to find quality game announcers these days and that is sad. This time of the year, baseball fans deserve to have more than what FOX and TBS provide us with their broadcast crews. I think I'll just watch the Hot Corner online from now on, so I don't have to hear those mouths. Then again, there's always You Cast.

Oh, and I'm not the only one who feels this way. Believe me, my wife was sick of it before I was and has already sworn off watching the TBS coverage. And she's a Cubs fan! Here's some others who feel the same way:
Bleacher Report and an Open Letter to TBS
Comcastsportsnet
Salon
CamdenChat
I could go on, but why waste more time proving the obvious.

Go BUCS!

Very nice win, and convincing one I must add, by the Bucs over the Pussycats (ok, ok, Panthers) 27-3 on Sunday. It was very sweet to see the team totally dominate in all phases for once and show just how good they are. I felt the Panthers were over rated coming in and they sure did look like it. Garcia showed no ill effects from the calf injury or from splinters while sitting on the bench. It looks like he may be rounding back into form, which seemed to be what Gruden had planned all along. Now, we'll see where we go from here with Seattle coming into town.

Its about that time....

Yeah, its late on a Friday. Planning to get outta here soon. ALCS kicks off at the Trop tonight against the Rays to get the weekend started. Dice-K vs. Shields. Its as it should be. We've got a score to settle. Yeah, the Rays won the season series 10-8 but we outscored them by 20. Here's to the can of whup-ass for the Sox to open up on them tonight.

The Bucs have a rivalry game of their own this week as the Panthers come into town. The pussycats have already had their share of luck scoring on last second plays and the like, ones that put the Bucs close wins to shame. They've got a game up on us in the division and have beaten us at home the last five times, but I think we got this one. Garcia will replace Griese with most of the rust and injured calf now behind him. The defense is playing well, and Davin is back so we should win the trenches. Just another knock-out-drag-out brawl in the NFC South.

How Divine!

After all of the big plays in the Red Sox 3-2 win over the Angels last night to clinch the ALDS series, you almost have the believe it is so. Lester's strong pitching performance. Sparkling defense. Angels not executing again and the Red Sox taking advantage. Bay's 9th inning double and Lowrie's clutch two out single, Bay sliding in to win. Awesome!

I read about some of the heated moping by the Angels, and their claims of being the better team. Well, small things get accentuated dramatically in the Playoffs. Yeah, the bloop hits and the misplays weren't the best of scenerios, but they were effective and enough to win the series in four games. So, sayonera to the Angels. Enjoy the offseason, and congratulations on a great regular season. The Red Sox are moving on, leaving you in the dust yet again. Take your crybaby asses back on home to Cali.

Seems like forever

After a week of commuting back and forth to San Antonio for training, and following it up with a camping trip on Saturday, its been awhile since I posted. Since then the Red Sox took the first two games in the ALDS over the Angels with some dramatic wins in the wee hours EST. Last night that rose to another level with a 12 inning affair that ended 1:00am EST after about 51/2 of baseball. Unfortunately, the Red Sox couldn't pull it out, although they probably shouldn't have still been in it that late anyway, but thats how it goes. Now tonight Lester is back on the hill to followup his performance against the Angels last Wednesday in win in Game 1. We need to get this West Coast series behind us. PST sucks!

The Bucs fought tough against the Broncos in Denver yesterday, but couldn't stay with the Ponies when Griese got hurt. I haven't checked the wire yet, but lets hope he's not down too long. We've the the Panthers on tap next weekend.

Here comes the rain!

And here she comes again. Here comes the rain! Thats a take from an old Cult song from one of their first albums after they changed their name. Come on! Some of ya'll had to be around back then for the wild hair and makeup....and the good music. Eh?

Anyhoo....they MFYs won last night after a 90 minute rain delay, and Dice-K was pulled from starting so he didn't suffer any effects from pitching under the wet conditions. Good move, I think, especially now that the Sox are definitely the AL Wild Card. It weird to have these Yankee games not mean anything. I find I really don't care just as long as we get and keep everybody as healthy as possible for next weeks ALDS series in Anahiem. Already today's games is delayed and I checked the radar. It sure don't look good. Let's give everybody the rest of the weekend off and head to Cali. Maybe we can delay Pesky's number retirement to the ALDS, too.

Let's finish this thing

It comes down to the last series of the regular season. The Red Sox have a slim chance at taking the division with the Rays though its not likely, but its still there. We might as well take out some frustration out on the Yankees, who already have their own axe to grind, having had their playoff run put to rest already. Dice-K goes for his 19th win (amazing considering ....right?) who has been very solid these past few weeks. The MFY send a rookie to the mound in Alfredo Aceves, who's out there for evalution purposes. Let's chalk another one up.

Bucs have the Packers into town Sunday. The Cheeseheads are coming off a home loss to the Cowpatties last Sunday night. Hopefully, they'll continue to mope about it because they shouldn't have lost like that to the jokers in Dallas. The Bucs are favored so we'll see how that goes. If they limit any big plays and play smart, they should be able to take it.

Sadder than Sad

The 3-month-old son of Bucs kicker Matt Bryant died Wednesday morning in his sleep. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Matt and his wife Melissa during this tough time.

Sox are Wild!

I'm sure now that you're reading this, you've been to other blogs that have documented the celebration of the Red Sox clinching the Wild Card last night. Heck, pick any from the Red Sox blog list to the right and you'll get your fill. A couple of them struck me as especially funny, and hit home with me.

The Mighty Quinn reminds us of the boob that leads the crumbling Evil Empire is a horses ass, which cracked me up. Hank is upset that the system doesn't fit his team right so they can make the playoffs every season. His comparison to the Dodgers, who coincidently are in the National League West, is absurd. Dude, stick a sock in your pie hole and enjoy watching the Playoffs.

The Texas Gals Clinched: This is 2008 post, provides something I feel is important. Judge and respect this season's team on its own merits, not on the Red Sox of 2004 and 2007. The journeys have be sooo different with ups and downs, situations to overcome, mountains to climb, et al. Thats one of my favorite things of being a sports fan, and something I've picked up from reading Coach K's books, and following Duke through the years- every season is its own unique journey. It makes every season special.

Now the task to win the Division doesn't look as promising after the O's went belly up last night against the Rays, but its still possible. Let's root for the team to finish strong and win out, and whatever happens.....happens. No matter how it turns out, it has been a helluva journey.

This should be it!

If there ever was a night the Sox need to win, and the Rays need to lose, it is tonight. Sure, the Sox lost last night despite the Commander being on the mound, but I think tonight is the bigger game, and the tougher draw. The Rays and Orioles play a double header, and we need the O's to sweep that. Thats a pretty big request, though they are playing at Camden. Secondly, the Red Sox need to wail on Cliff Lee, the potential AL Cy Young winner, and pull out a win of whatever kind. It'll be tough, but when has it been easy this season for anything. Weird crap and all, the Red Sox are on the cusp of clinching a playoff berth. Lets make the best of it with a good showing tonight. And.....may the umps stay out of the way tonight, aight! Thats not too much to ask.

How 'bout dem apples?

It turned out to be a pretty sweet Sunday, and a good weekend for that matter. Oh, yes, it could've been better. The Yankees could've lost in their last home game of the season, and in their "Stadium", and the Cowpatties could've gone down to the Packers, but, Hey, I'm not complaining.

The Red Sox continued to drive towards the AL East lead with the Rays. Dice-K looked strong yesterday as they club took the series over the Jays. Thanks to the Twins, the Sox were able to move up a game and now reside just one and a half games back with the final week to go. Its not going to be easy, but the Indians and Yankees are beatable. JB on the mound tonight to get it started.

I listened to the Buc game yesterday on Sirius, while watching the Red Sox play on TBS. I really was frustrated with all of the turnovers. Hey, that's always been a focus with Gruden - minimize turnovers and penalties. You never want to become one dimensional, but the Bears were playing the run tough with all of the blitzes. Amazingly, despite those blitzes, Griese was able to throw the ball a team record 67 times, and even more astoundly, without a single sack.

The Bucs came from being down 10 late in the middle of the 4th quarter, to tie it up and force overtime. Heck, FOX even broke in and I got to see some of the game for a bit. I was really thinking the offense would go down and score on the first drive in OT, but an intentional grounding call kinda took care of that. A few meanderings later and the Bucs ended up deep in their own end appearing to have their backs up against the wall when the Bears were called for unsportsmanlike conduct. With new life, the Bucs drove down quickly and deep into Chicago territory, and kicked the game winning field goal. What a great win!

What an amazing performance by the Bucs offensive line, and wide receivers. Yes, you could say Griese as well, but he did throw some INTs that put the team in a bind before getting hot late. The "O" line has been so highly criticized through the years, and the Bucs have been building a solid nucleus for what seems like an eternity. Even with Joseph out, they were still strong. Run blocking could've been better, but with a stout Bears D shooting the gaps on almost every play, thats not to be expected.

And where have these receivers been. Another often maligned position seemed to suddenly shine without the #1 option in Galloway. Bryant, Hilliard and Clayton had over 20 catches, as well as Jerramy Stevens returning to action to catch 5 and a score. There were other TEs and backs that caught balls to, but when do you remember getting this sort of output from the WRs. Hilliard has always been a solid option, but everybody's been on Clayton's ass since he's failed to follow up his rookies campaign. Bryant has bounced all over the place, including the hated Cowdungs, but he caught 10 balls yesterday. Totally unexpected and for once, the WRs were impressive. I seem to remember Stovall dropping a few, and there were more that could've been had by everybody, but hey, they caught enough. 2-1 is very nice with the Packers coming into RJS after getting beat last night. Let's keep it going!

Big Stick Goes Boom!

I'm in a rock n' roll mood today. Krokus had a song back in the mid-80's, just the other day for some of us folks, called "Long Stick Goes Boom." Well, last night the Sox had their sticks out and they went boom! Too the tune of six home runs and a 13-5 whuppin' of the Rays at their house. All the talking heads can shut their face now about who's won where. Let's see where things go from here with the AL East tied up for the first time in what seems like forever. Commander Kick-Ass on the mound and some revenge to make up from the No Decision last week at home vs. Sonnanstine.

Oh, and Sirius has dedicated the Octane channel to AC/DC for a while, all day and night. We should see some High Voltage again from the Red Sox tonight. Let there be Rock!

R.I.P Richard Wright

Trop-ick Hits

Fortunately we didn't see too much from Ike up in Central Texas over the weekend, but one of the Family's favorite weekend trip spots got ravaged. Galveston and the Houston area will never be the same. It really hit close to home in more ways than just the fact that its a few hours down the road from us. Its surreal to think of all of the weather press staying along Seawall at places we've been, and the roads, sites, and houses around town being turned into sopping wet junk piles. Man, its just horrific! Take care Texan Brothers and Sisters! God be with you!

On a less important note, the Bucs won with Griese at the helm and things went better this weekend with a win over the Falcons, and their rookie QB. Things sure felt good when Earnest broke out on his 68 yard run there late in the 4th quarter to pretty much seal the deal. Now, looks like Griese will be the starter against Chicago next week. Sounds good to me. He was rolling a few years ago for us before he got hurt, so lets see where we go from here.

Lastly, the Red Sox managed to work a series win out of the Jays series while the Yanks took some sting out of the Rays, leading to just a 1 game deficit and a series kicking off tonight at Tropicana Field tonight. Dice-K against Kazmir, both getting a no decision last week. Here's to hoping Dice can be effective and keep his pitch count down, while the bats roll all over the Rays. I'm sick of hearing all this "the Rays won at Fenway, but the Sox haven't won at the Trop." Well, that should change TONIGHT! Make it so!

Goes by in a flash

From the date stamp of the previous post, its been since JB's last mound visit that I've posted. Since then:

JB kicked some serious Ranger ass.

Rangers followed up with an ass-kicking the following night with Wake on the mound.

Byrd was solid to close out and win the series over the Rangers.

Bucs blew coverage, then came from behind, and then forgot to tackle Reggie Bush. They made a drive down in the final seconds for Garcia to throw a desperation INT to lose to the Saints.

Lester showed up large to bring the Sox to within a 1/2 game of the Rays.

Paps blows his 5th save of the year in the 9th, and 3rd consecutive day pitching, after Bay hits a homer for his 3rd consecutive game when the Sox take their first lead in the 8th.

So, alot has happened. Now to the present:

JB will be back out there vs. the Rays tonight for the Sox to take the series and let the punks out of town still holding a lead in the division.

Griese gets the start on Sunday since Garcia hasn't played well after being slowed in camp with his calf injury, and has a swollen ankle.

Derrick Brooks is questionable with a hamstring. He's never missed a Bucs game in his career of 209 games.

Oh, and if you haven't heard: The Patriots lose Brady for the year and there's a storm brewin' in the Gulf that looks to be heading this way. Might be time to take cover.

Hurricane Ike - Courtesy of TWC

Things are about to get crazy!!!

This has been an odd summer, the first one in many years that I haven't coached baseball on my son's team. He had played baseball every spring since he was 4 with something that was like pre-TeeBall. Now he's 11 and he didn't want to play this season. It was a definite change for the both of us, and a sign for me that he's growing up. Next year he'll be playing sports for the school in 7th grade. Geez! I'm getting old!

The sudden influx of "free time" has allowed me to follow more pro baseball this season and keep up with the Red Sox more than I typically have been able to. The Missus is probably about sick of hearing about their latest exploits on damn near every freakin' day! She hasn't said anything, but I wouldn't blame her. The Sox visit Arlington this weekend and earlier in the year I had thought we'd try to make it up there for the weekend. No matter how much supposed extra time you appear to have, things tend to come up out of nowhere and those plans didn't work out. So, I'll be scrounging for game coverage on FOX Southwest all weekend, and putting up with the Rangers announcers. Oh Joy! One cool thing though is JB is on the bump tonight and FOX SW is showing that in HD. Let's have a good one and keep this streak going. Rays are up only 3.5 now.

The Bucs come to the watery town of New Orleans to kick off their regular season. I'm still not sure I'm ready for some football. I guess thats because I've been able to be hardcore baseball fan this summer. Aw, I know I'll come around. I was contemplating the trip to N.O. for the game, but in my opinion, football is better on TV. I just can't see paying $75 for a crappy seat, and $8/beer, when the one at home in front of the big screen with a six pack of pints is so much more enjoyable. I'm almost positive I'll be stuck with the Cowboy game and others I could give a crap about other than Fantasy points, so I'll have to follow the game via Sirius and the internet. Lord knows there are worse things. Go Sox and Bucs!

Rust? Ya think?

So, yeah, the Bucs lost the other day vs. the Jags. Things would have been a whole lot better if we hadn't gotten off to such a bad start. Garcia threw a couple of picks and the team didn't look as sharp as they did in the previous weeks. Jeff was coming back from his calf injury, so I don't think this is quite how its going to be. Even Gruden attributed the QBs erract play to rust and that he was trying to hard, and forcing things. I agree with that. Its too early to bash Jeff and say there should have been more of a push for Favre. We don't need Farve. This is a team, and we don't need such individuality that Favre would bring. Lets strap it up and bring it this week to Houston. It should be a good test on the road with a decent Texans club that has been playing pretty well this preseason too. If there were good seats at decent prices, I'd go. But I hate this thing about preseason games where they want to slip in a regular season game with the purchase as well. I don't want to see the Texans play vs. the Colts in October and get their asses kicked. I'll stay at the house and keep up with the Bucs game. Thank you very much!

Last Stadium Rumble

Tonight it starts. The last regular season series in Yankee Stadium between the Sox and Yanks. If all goes well, it will be that last in the Stadium...period. Wake starts tonight after his stint on the DL against Pettite. It should be a pretty good matchup. The Yanks need to win this series to have any real hope to make the Playoffs. I think they've been dead for weeks now. Maybe we're looking at the final nails in the coffin over the next three days.

Just a note today....

Lester pitched a fine ball game last night, and JBay hit a couple of dinger. Good way to start off a long road trip. It sure would be nice to keep it going tonight.

On a serious note, well wishes to Carl Yastrzemski, who was admitted into the hospital today with chest pains. Take care, Yaz!

Blah

So, the Jays get away with a rainout and two wins over the weekend. Beckett got shelled Sunday, but hey, its gonna happen sometimes. Now, Lester pitches tonight in Baltimore. Time to start another streak!

The Bucs beat the Pats last night, 27-10. Neither starter played at all due to nagging injuries. From the Bucs web, it appears the offensive line played well, and we all know how important that is.

I'm not quite set on getting into the football groove just yet. I need these Red Sox to get on a roll so I won't have to worry so much. It'd be nice if some of these other teams could help out by at least taking a series or two from the Rays. Yeah, thanks Rangers. Geez! Let's hope the Angels that came into town a couple of weeks ago and put some hurt on the Sox show up against the Rays.

Pedroia

This dude cracks me up. Since there wasn't much to last night's game- 10-0 whuppin' of the Rangers with Dice-K on the mound - I figured I'd link this recent ESPN the Mag story about Pedie. Especially since the Jays are coming in tonight with Doc Halladay on the mound. Keep it rollin' fellas!

Lynch a Patriot?

Apparently so.

Nice...uh....NICE!

Lester was dominating last night pitching into the 8th inning, and giving up a dinger to Kinsler, before leaving with two guys on that Timlin didn't hold. Red Sox win 8-4 behind another potent attack led by Youkilis, and the whole middle of the lineup. Very nice job! The Rangers made it interesting by getting some runners on against Masterson, but he worked out of it with a double play and a pop up to end the game. Now, we go for the sweep tonight with Dice-K against a young Ranger pitcher fillin, and a Ranger line up that will be missing Josh Hamilton since he flew back to Texas for the birth of his child.

Here's a good conglomeration article on the Yankees demise as they fell further in the standings last night in a loss to the Twins. I'm not ready to RIP them, but I'll rip them when I can.

Lowell on DL

There's the word - Mike Lowell placed on the DL with a strained oblique. David Pauley called up from Pawtucket.

19-17!

Geez, at least the Sox won. I had to watch this on Fox Southwest with on the Rangers network announcers, which is probably hazardous to my health. I should have tapped into WRKO's call over the internet, but...call me lazy, I didn't. After watching it and reading all about it, I'm tired of it. There's enough info you can read from the SG guys and the Dirtdogs to cover it if you missed it. The bullpen continues to be a concern, though Okie came in and put the fire out with the most solid performance of the evening. That's promising!

We'll wait word on Lowell's MRI today on his strained oblique and continued hip issues. A trip to the DL seems likely. Youk will likely shuffle back over the 3rd like he did earlier in the year when Mike was out, and the Mayor will move in for some time at 1st. Zink already was optioned back to Pawtucket with Byrd's signing yesterday. We'll see if there's more action regarding a infielder later today with Lowell's results.

The Sox are on ESPN tonight 6:05 CST, with Lester pitching. We need another Ace performance to settle this series down. We're three back now with the Rays loss last night.

Welcome Mr. Byrd

The Red Sox picked up Paul Byrd from the Indians this afternoon. I guess I'm not the only one that was worried about our pitching staff depth.

Quick Notes - 8/12

I guess a bunch of people are watching the Olympics. 143 million watch over the weekend and 107 million just on Sunday alone. Yeah, thats alot of viewers.

Jeff Garcia was back on the practice field Monday although he probably won't play against the Pats Sunday night. He's still getting over the calf injury.

Speaking of injuries, Wakefield is having some shoulder issues and will be put on the DL today when Charlie Zink is called up from Pawtucket. Zink has been in the Sox system since 2002 and is another true knuckleballer. He is 13-4 this season and hopefully he can bring some wicked stuff with him. Wake's been awesome this season with his dancing pitches, and Zink is capable of the same.

Colon maybe about ready to rejoin the big club within the next couple of weeks. He looked good just the other day. That maybe a chance to send Clay down for awhile to work on things.

The Sox start a three game set with the Rangers tonight @ 6:05 CST. Some injuries are beginning to stack up and Tito seems to have been doing a good job trying to get the players some rest in when he can. The Rays are about to feel some of the strain like we did when Papi was out in June since Longoria and Crawford are injured now and on the DL. Lets hope our guys can work through their bumps and bruises, and keep playing well. We should be able to make some ground on our 4 game deficit behind the Rays.

Ellsbury seems to have broken out from his funk and Tito has moved him back to lead off. Pedie's streak of 29 straight road games with a hit came to an end last night. He'll still keep rolling. Bay cooled off some on the road trip, but I don't think it was reasonable to expect him to maintain things at such a high level forever. Lowell and Papi are nursing their injuries. We'll need more production from the bottom of the lineup in taking on the Rangers. The team from Texas tends to score alot of runs lead by Josh Hamilton. Focus...pitchers....focus....!

Oh, and I love this! Unfortunately, he has their record wrong. As of today the Yankees are 63-56, and 9 games out of first place, and 5 games behind the Red Sox as they lead the Wild Card. The Yanks are third in the wildcard race behind the White Sox...er...the Twins...no, the White Sox. Whoever it is today or tomorrow, they are behind them, and it appears taking on water.

Home Times 2

We actually got back home just in time on Sunday to watch the last inning of the game on TBS. The Red Sox lost 6-5 after getting off to a hot start, 3 run dinger by Lowell, but Clay held to his typical form of late, by squandering it and getting pulled with no outs in the 4th. As we were driving 80mph on I-37 to San Antonio, I was hoping to get a cell update that the Red Sox were coming back and they did get a couple of runs in the 6th, but got shut down by Dotel. I didn't like him as an Astro years back, and now I have further reason to continue that forward.

Last night's game was important so that the road trip wouldn't be a total bust. Going in the team was even on the road this time, and wins away from home have been hard to come by for just about every MLB team this season. Commander Kick-Ass took the mound and brought the heat with him with 8 strong innings. Through 6 frames, it almost looked like we were seeing a repeat of what Lackey did to us a couple of weeks ago, with Danks pitching perfect. Youk and Drew took care of that, with one out-top of the 7th, with a bloop single and a strong double, with a Lowell walk in between for a 2-1 lead. Throw in some runs in the top of the 9th for a nice cushion for Paps to get some work and we have a 5-1 victory, and a 4-3 road trip.

Now the Rangers come in on a quick turn around tonight for a three game set. Checking the schedule, there's no off day until Aug.21, with the Jays in town over the weekend, before heading to Baltimore early next week. Whew guys! Keep swigging those Monsters and Red Bull.

Now, some commentary on Sunday after we checked out of the condos down south. We went to the Aquarium in Corpus which has continued to grow through the years. I don't think we've been back there since the kid was a toddler. Us guys were given the option of the Lexington or the Aquarium by the ladies. Which would you choose in 95 degree heat, and 100 percent humidity? Thats what I thought.

So, the Aquarium was nice. Not neccesarily $15 nice for a couple of hours, which was the approximate fee to get in, but hey, they preserve stuff and its a good family environment, so I let that go. It's around lunch time and no one wants to make a 3 hour trip home on an empty stomach. Within walking distance, we find a couple of places. One nice place is packed with folks, with a long enough wait that we decide to move on. We end up at a place right in front of the Lexington, with an outside deck area. Not to bad since its covered and not in direct sun to keep you from being baked.

There are some expectations that I carry when I visit a restaurant:

1. I shouldn't have to wait for a menu, or for a server. Hey, I'm there to eat. You want my money. Let's work together on this. I can understand if the place is super busy and people are running everywhere, but this is a Sunday late morning-early afternoon, and the place wasn't hopping. Like my sister-in-law said, maybe that should've told us something in comparison to the other place we'd passed by earlier.
2. You should keep enough common things in stock. I say this because I'm from Texas and we're notorious for drinking beer, especially when its hot, we're on a deck, and about to eat a meal. These jokers were out of Miller Lite. I was agast. I'm typically a Bud Light/Corona/Sam Adams drinker, but sis-in-law wanted a light beer from the 2nd most popular and easiest to get beer producer in the country. And they're out!
3. Make sure the food is cooked and served warm. Bro-in-law noted his meal was alittle chilly, but he's still among the living, that I know of so far. Maybe I should check on that.
4. Present yourself as a clean establishment. Serving drinks with crap floating in them, and disgusting bathrooms isn't the way to do that.
5. Don't force me to tip you by adding gratuity for me. We split the check among families and it isn't like we were taking you away from other customers. Our waiter was sitting on his ass most of the time with someone at another table. He must've been aware that we weren't happy with the place or his service by tacking on gratuity to the checks. A-hole!

I'm probably missing a couple of other things, but thats enough. You get the point. We did eventually get out of there and get on home. It was a good weekend time, and kudos to the Johnson clan for the invite and being gracious hosts. We'll have to do it again sometime sooon. I think the wife is already planning......

Homeward Bound....well...almost

Heading back home today after a weekend on the Gulf Coast. Home after a visit to the Aquarium down here after checkout. We went to a Corpus Christi Hooks game last night after a lazy day on the beach and at the condo. It was the first time I've been to Whataburger Field to see the Astros Double-A affiliate. They used to be up in Round Rock as the Express years ago, and I'd see them up there, but not since all of that changed and they moved down to Corpus. It was a pretty good game. Hooks won 4-1 against the Springfield Cardinals from the North Divison. The Hooks are the worst team in the Texas League this year, probably because Houston traded away so much talent over the past couple of years in turning over their roster. I'm glad Theo doesn't do that with the Red Sox. You have to build up your farm system to stay good over the years. Now the Astros are sucking, and their management is to blame, and deserves it.

Anyway, the Red Sox won impressively last night, 6-2, over the White Sox. I was getting alittle worried after the 6th inning update on my cell phone still showed a tied game, and not much scoring. It looks like Dice-K pitched pretty well, and was the beneficiary of several double plays. Whatever it takes, ya know. It was a relief when the alert came through on Pedroia's single and Papi's double to bust it open. Big Papi finally seems to be getting over his wrist clicking and Manny's move to L.A. Even Ellsbury hit another dinger. Keep that offense rolling, fellas! Today we got Buchholz pitching on TBS, then JB on Monday night, before heading home to welcome the Rangers.

It sure doesn't feel like football season, but those Buccaneers played last night, beating up on the Dolphins 17-6. After scanning a few notes on the game, it looks like Griese was impressive as was Michael Bennett. The defense held pretty well, with some good plays by several guys. Chris Simms even had some good stats and played well. Of course, Garcia didn't play considering his injury, and neither did Chad Pennington, who the Dolphins signed Friday to be their starter. Another thing of note is the Bucs didn't have a penalty. That means no false starts, or inopportune holdings, which is very significant. I would give the offensive line high marks for that one. They killed us with enough of that crap the last couple of seasons. Maybe we're finally getting the experience to get us past that.

I'm sure I delve into more of the Bucs game later in the week as we move back home to take on the Patriots next Sunday. I like the Red Sox, but I can't stand the Patriots. That ought to keep my blog from being listed on many, if not all, of the Red Sox rooter blogs out of Boston. Oh well. I'll keep reading them because I love their insight and opinions on the Sox, but when if come to the Bucs, I trend a different way. Let's go Pewter Pirates!

Weekend on the road

This morning I sit here on the deck of a condo between Corpus Christi and Port Aransas, tapping into the "free" wireless thats hawking "Gulfstream Condos". Its already humid, and later it'll be as hot as hell to match. The kid tells me it was cold downstairs where he bunked with his cousins, so much so he was shivering this morning. I got to agree with him somewhat since when I came out here on the deck a few minutes ago, my laptop was fogging up. I guess someone needs to check the themostat. Did I mention it'll be hot later?

So, we went over the Port A last night for dinner, and had some micro brews. Port Aransas Brewery makes a good pilsner, bock and stout if you ever get the chance to try them. The pilsner is real good if you like typical lite beers. The bock is similiar to Shiner Bock. The Stout has alittle too much coffee, and a slight chocolate after taste, but I wouldn't say it sucked. Its not Guiness mind you, but what is.

There was probably 10 screens attached to walls all around us, but none with anything I cared to followed besides the Little League Southeast Championship game. A hunting show here, boxing there, WTF on others. They turned on the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics, but other than a few odd and end events, I don't care for Olympics all that much. Of course, I couldn't listen to WRKO on my laptop because, well, I didn't have it on me, and who knows if there's wireless of there. Besides, I would've recieved some flak for it at dinner anyway.

So, that left me with following the Red Sox with scoring updates via my cell phone. It looks like Beantowners had a time with Buerle. Meanwhile, Lester gave up a few runs which hasn't been the norm lately. I did manage to tap into wireless back at the condo just after Pedie hit his dinger to pull the Sox closer 4-3. Of course, Carlos Quinten, he of the Diamondbacks "The Show" series a few years ago when he was coming up in the Minors, hits a shot off of MDC for another run to make a comeback harder. A runner gets on in the ninth but nothing more than that as the Red Sox fall 5-3 to the Pale Hose.

Dice-K is on the bump tonight. He should bring the heat and I feel the guys should pull out the victory. They've done it all year when he pitches, no matter how many walks he throws. It'll be hot here and hopefully I'll be able to catch a few innings. If not, I'll be waiting for the cell updates, hopefully not wiping off condensation to read them. The wife and kid are heading down to the beach, so I guess I better get off my ass. Bring on the heat!

Working for the weekend

The Red Sox are in Chicago to matchup with the White Sox for the weekend. The pitching rotation deals Lester, Dice-K, Buchholz, and Beckett through Monday. Down here in Texas, it looks like the Saturday game will be on WGN and the Sunday on TBS. Probably won't catch them since I'm heading to the Gulf coast now, but there's always the updates on the cell. Here's to hoping we have a winning streak (still) going when I get back.

Another win on the road

Royals, schmoyals. No matter who it's against, winning on the road this season is big. You also have to win the games you're supposed to win. The Red Sox took the series with the Royals, with wins by JB and Wake, and now head to the southside of Chicago for a weekend wrap around series with the White Sox. I think winning 5 out of the last 6 would indicate some hotness. The KC series seemed to bring some bats alive, most notably Jacoby Ellsbury. How about that dinger to dead centerfield last night, eh? Here's to hoping all that continues.

Today comes word that the Red Sox are looking to pickup some depth from the Padres in a wavier wire trade for Brian Giles. I guess that sounds alright considering there's a few guys fighting through some injuries. Lowell with his hip. The freak out over Papi's wrist this week. Youk getting popped on the hand last night. At least its not broke.

The thing is Giles won't come cheap. $9 million is alot even if its late in the year and the Padres have paid him most of that already. The option for next year in lieu of the trade takes that number to $11 million. Thats not chump change. He'll have to be a real producer to make it worth while. He's been a solid player for a number of years and quite possibly could be a really good pick up. We'll see if it goes through, or gets blocked by somebody. I was just starting to get used to the idea that the club might pickup Borowski. With today's off day, both may go through.

Favre is a Jet!

Whew! Thank goodness. The Packers completed the trade of the future Hall of Famer to the Jets and NOT the Bucs. Fox Sports broke the news. This has been worrisome the past couple of weeks with the Bucs being thrown into the mix. We didn't need him. Garcia is a good QB and knows the system well enough now. Hell, wasn't making the Pro Bowl last year enough to prove that? The press would have none of it especially since Gruden and Favre go back to the old days with the Packers. Gruden was the QB coach back during that time and Holmgren sent him on the errand to pick up the QB acquistion they have recieved from the Falcons at the airport. Needless to say, they know one another. Also consider that Jon has a history of collecting QBs, like the 5 on the roster aren't enough right now.

Anyway, off Favre goes to the Jets. My condolences to Packer fans. Now maybe the Bucs can re-focus, and get down to work at camp. We've got an NFC South title to defend!

Another close road game

Coming off a sweep of the A's over the weekend, confidence had to be running high in the Red Sox clubhouse. Now the road has not been kind to the club, or really anybody else this season for that matter, so reasonable expectations from the trip through KC and Chicago are to at least break even. Last night, despite a good start and a close finish in the 9th, the Sox couldn't break through on top. So, there's some work to do and we've got the right guy on the mound to do it tonight - Mr. Beckett.

No harm done last night since the Rays and Yanks both lost. It would've been night to make up a game, but hey...it happens. Its worth noting that Joba left the Yanks game in the 5th with some shoulder stiffness. We'll see what shakes out there.

Nice.....

Seems like last night's game was the first in a while that we weren't stressing and chewing nails about down to the wire of yet another close game. 12-2 is a pretty good spread. Couple of dingers by Youk and hey, one by that guy Jason Bay. He seems to be fitting in pretty well. Dice-K pitches this afternoon and odds are, the Sox should come out of it with a sweep before heading to KC.

From Bucs camp, word is Garcia's injury isn't serious and whats a few more reps this time of year for the backup QBs. Galloway is in camp now and should start getting into the groove early next week. The rookies are coming along and Talib has been impressive according to Coach Gruden. Can you believe there is already a preseason game on NBC tonight? Colts at Redskins. Preseason games are typically yawn-fests so I'm not sure how much it'll be worth watching, but football is on the way back!

The Jason and Jed Show

Can't forget about Wake and the bullpen, but what a BIG win tonight. Yeah, so it was against the A's and sure, it was at Fenway, but considering all the struggles and crap from the past few days - We'll take it! Jason Bay getting on base (3 times) and Jed with the RBIs knocking him in for a 2-1 win in 12 innings. Now, they don't televise NESN here in Texas and no, I didn't pay the bucks for Extra Innings or MLB.TV (even though they have a 5 day trail offer right now), but I did pay for the radio access on MLB.com, and Dale said it all tonight in his final call on WRKO..."Lowrie hustles....and he's safe! Red Sox win!" That's right, he hustled. So did Bay when he was on base the couple of times during the game (first to third on a hit and run) Now, you got to ask yourself....what would Manny have done?

Now for the rest of the season....

The July 31st trade deadline has now passed and, yeah, it took Manny, Craig and Brandon with it, but another day has dawned. Jason Bay comes in and we'll see how Tito decides to juggle the lineup. Wake takes the mound today as the A's come into town fresh off a sweep at the hands of the Royals. Sounds like a perfect chance to put events of the past week or so behind us. Hopefully the Angels will continue to pound on the Yanks like they did yesterday, and the Tigers can put some hurt on the Rays. Time to get HOT!

Manny to the Dodgers? Wow!

It's been a long time comin'. The annual Manny whine-fest has finally reached it peak, and exploded. From what ESPN and SI are reporting, Jason Bay will be on his way to Beantown, and the Baseball Bucs are getting Brandon Moss and Craig Hansen from the Sox. Sorry to see Moss, he of the season's first homerun and some of the depth behind Drew, and Hansen from the bullpen, depart the club. Best of luck and well wishes.

Thus we can declare this the end of the Manny era, and put it in the past. Lets hope the Sox can get back to the real business tomorrow, and focus, when the A's come in. So long to ManRam! C'ya!

Lynch done?

photo courtesy of Bucpower.com

Free agency is one of the facts of life in the NFL, and often favorite players come and go with the years. One of the Bucs all time greats that was tough to lose a few years ago was John Lynch. Through cost cutting measures to get under the salary cap, and some premature speculation that he was pretty much done anyway at his "advanced age", it was hard to see him go. He was a role model on and off the field - A leader in the locker room and in the community.

Now comes word that he's leaving the Broncos. This time he just might be done for real. There's not many football players with the class and character like John Lynch, or that could lower the boom on a ball carrier like he could, and did. If this turns out to be it, well.....we'll probably see him on Sunday NFL telecasts somewhere, and eventually on the steps of Canton in a fitted HOF jacket.

Salute to ya #47!

In the beginning.....

Ok here we go. I finally decided to do this thing.

I've been browsing and scanning through too many blogs for too long now to not have one of my own where I can say my piece. I'm grateful to the many Red Sox blog lists to finally push me over the edge. ;) At least I can delgate some blame somewhere. Isn't that what most Sport Fans "do" these days? Hopefully something will come out of this.

Smash the bottle on the bow!
Shoot off the fireworks!

Because here goes somethin'.