Its now March and Baseball season is quickly approaching. Sox are 4-1 thus far.

Mike "the should be 07 MVP" Lowell went deep yesterday. V-tek, Youk have gone deep. Dice-K looks phenomenol.

What else can I say but Sox got 08 on lock down!!

ps. Hank Stienbrenner is a cock bag. I can wait for the Yanks to miss the playoffs this year.

+1 on Hank and the Yanks missing the playoffs.

It should be a good race between the Tigers, Sox (Red, of course), A's and the Indians.

Hardy, I don't know how to tell you, but the A's, are in a rebuilding year lol

Yeah the AL Central should be interesting this year. Twins are certainly not going to be anywhere close to the top this year, so it should be interesting watching the Tigers and Indians duke it out.

I am thinking the Sox will have to win the East to make the playoffs because I can see the Wild Card coming down to the Indians/Tigers.

Tigers look crazy tough, I mean they beefed up. I think Wilis will do well playing for a team in the hunt again, and Cabrera is like lil Manny

Yeah, agree about the Tigers but they beefed up an already good lineup. Their bullpen still concerns me enough to put them ahead of the Sox.

Sox in 08! bitcheS!

super jealous though, my future bro in law and father in law went to spring training over the weekend... they got a ton of signatures (jacoby, manny, schilling, mirabelli, wakefield, kielty, cora, youk, etc) all on one baseball.. and they took pics next to the two world series trophies, and got to touch them (no homo)

definetly jealous.

If they didnt get Mikey Lowells Auto, that ball is worthless ;) haha..

ya i know he really wanted lowell and tek. he may have gotten lowell, im not sure... but i know he didnt get tek.

Nice! this page loads faster.

I will go on the record and say I think the whole "red sox nation" thing is as ghey as it gets.
Far too many "bandwagon" fans compared to die hards such as myself...Yes I consider myself a die hard and have the ability to pick out those die hards from those band wagon fans with ease.

ON that note, Hanks comments are justified in the sense that the entire thought and idea of it is lame for lack of a better word, but it also goes to show that he must be pretty worried about the fact Yankees are full of drama right now, esp with Andy "HGH" Pettite causing a stir in camp.

Yankees will finish no better then 3rd this year. Sorry NY's gonna have to wait another year.

+ 86 years. I couldn't agree more. Its one of the reasons I hate going to the games some times. All the "Red Sox Nation" bullshit. Right, just because you got your pink hat doesn't make you a fan. Its funny Tig, I'm with you, I've been saying since the Sox aquired lowell he is a big ticket, but even last year, I had some fat ice cream guzzling sows, screaming, not knowing how to remotely keep score for real, and then would stand up and take pictures every time David Ortiz or Jason Varitek would step to the plate. When Mike Lowell got into the box, they were busy talking on their phones. I said out loud, what are you doing, there is the MVP, (Amy as my witness, and this was in June).

Ever since then I can't stand the fake fans.

i agree.. although being out of state (not from boston), it makes sense to have a RSN membership... because you get discounts on MLB.TV purchase so I can watch all the games live online. But i do agree that its pretty ghey that you "pay" to be an "official fan"

Red Sox fans always say how the Yankee's fans are so cocky and are just jerks. But I have to say, our fans don't help their cause because the majority of the fans at the games are jackasses. Its a game, it is not a social event, like most of the fans see it as. Go find a local bar and compare all the "gear" you bought. I want to go, sit in the sun and watch the game. Not answer my phone, drink my face off and act like a fool.

Tigers spring training game I went to was probably the most fun I ever had as a kid (and by kid, I mean when I was 26 year old). Definitely a MUST for any baseball fan.

i agree. I like to sit in the bleachers at fenway cuz i honestly like the view of the park out there.. but so many disrespectful people sit out there.
The first time i went to fenway, it was 100 degrees out, 1st inning, and the guy behind me laughed and spit his beer all over the back of my neck. It literally dried in 15 seconds and i got no apology. My fiance finally turned around and told the guy to apologize, and he still wouldnt. I wanted to get up and punch the fucker but i didnt wanna get kicked out at my very first fenway game.

You're right though, when i go to the game, i hardly even talk to the people i came with... I watch every pitch.

its cost so much, why not get the most out of it. I think the bleachers are the best view. You don't have to turn your head like in the grand stand. Growing up, I probably went to 500 games, (not exaggerating)and have sat everywhere and been through the ups and downs. But in the last 10 years, it has grown to where I dread going. I like the view I get on my 50 in DLP tv better. Not to mention, I can't justify how much money everything costs.

i know, right? When i go to a game at fenway, the only thing i'll buy is a water, and a fenway-frank.. Thats it.

My girl and i ate dinner in the park once, bought a Pizza and two drinks, and i think we had ice cream afterwards... it was like $70

I have said many times, I'm a pennywise man, I enjoy myself, but not at the ridiculous expense that is that organization. I applaud the team for doing so well, but I hate the owners because they charge the most money in all of the game, and yet its not like they have a new field to pay for, that small ces-pool has been paid for 100 times over. Its just pure profit, and then on top of that, they make almost a 900% margin on food. a hot dog is not worth $7.00. Alright, I'm done with my micro economic banter, but that is something that grinds my gears. They gauge b/c they can.

I 100% agree.

I'm pissed that every year they raise the ticket prices. This year they raised them $2. Doesn't sound like much, but multiply $2 by 36,000 seats...

and they added another 1000 seats with their coca cola section. I couldn't even fathom how much a season ticket costs. Thats something only business could afford b/c they could write the majority of the cost off. The organization has sucessfully alienated its working class fans. Nice job. Well it will come full circle. When the team falls off, and they go into a re-building phase, all this hoopla will fade, the rich will find another "in" thing to attach themselves to and the Sox will be back to its core fans again.

this thread sucks. i like the old one better.

Well the Sox did pick up Sean Casey!

the old one was cool because we were able to watch tig's predictions unfold over the course of 7 months

And this one isn't because the Tigers are going to the World Series again. :P

What do you guys think about Pap's speaking about his salary? I personally think he deserves more than he's being paid right now. He's still making his minor league salary isn't he?

I mean, i personally think it sucks for him but there's nothing he can do. Thats the beauty of having a farm system... you don't have to pay good players the big bucks for their first couple of years.

Like Ellsbury, Johnny Pesky says "he could be the next Ted Williams" but he isn't up for contract negotiations for another 3 years. He'll be making pennies in the Majors for quite some time.

Hey but thats the way it is. All the other pro's had to do it. They all did. I would say to Mr. Papelbon, "Pay your dues" his payday is coming.

ya im kinda on the fence about it. Its true though, 2007 was his real full blown all season debut IMO. I know he pitched alot in 2006 but he had the shoulder injury as well. Last year is when he really made a name for himself and became lights out. So to instantly start throwing money his way would be somewhat lutacris.

Its somewhat reminicent of what Maurice Clarett was trying to do, he wants to change the system, and you can't. It is what it is. He still makes more money than most CEO's of small compaies, 452 thousand a year is not lean living by any means.

They will do something for him. He only made 425,000 last year. That is pretty wack, but look at Prince Fielder dude hit mad dingers and is on the come up and is only making 790,000. He bitched too.

Its the way it works, deal with it. Its more then 80% of americans make and its not like they pay for shit during the season.

I dont care whos team they are on, I dont like greed and for him to come out now and bitch disappoints me. Just let your skills do the talking, the money will come.

no kidding. like the 4th string kickers in the NFL who get paid like 1mill to sit the bench all season, travel, and work out with NFL stars... damn, tough life.

thats what I'm saying. Its not like Manny Ramirez didn't have to deal with it. They all did at one point or another.

I can see where he's coming from. Hes in the "shutdown closer" category. Just like Riveria and a few others...but still he needs to chill. We got a fuckin WS to win.

speaking of manny, it looks like he WANTS to retire in a redsox uniform. Think the sox will bite at the end of the season? Even if he has a sub-par season like last year?

I think he's going to explode this year though.. looks like he's done some serious off season work outs.

Look at Mikey Lowell...

Dude has always been a top notch 3rd baseman, but he knew he needed to do work in order to get a multi year contract for big money...what he do?? he fuckin tore the league up and hit clean up in the most crucial part of the year to keep the Sox on top...was he saying I want the big $?? No he knew he deserved it, so he let it come to him...thats why I respect that mofo...Papelbon should just shut the fuck up and do work like Mikey did and his day will come. Shit pisses me off and I hope he regrets coming out and saying that shit.

He wouldnt leave Ortiz at this point. I think he'd retire first.

LOL! That's because there's only 3 red sox fans on the forum and they're all posting in here...

cuz the yankees losers are scared of us.

ya i dont think any yankee fans will be in here this season. They're big talk got them no where last year... except a mouth full of bugs in cleveland. hahahaha

A's 2008! (in my best george lopez impersonation "waaaaaaaatcha!)

not gonna lie.... i'm a little worried about WTF is happening in Fort Myers..

they good. they will take it very easy on Beckett. Once Colon gets into shape I can see him being a good 4 man.

its a long season, better get the fine tuning done now than down the stretch.

true. big difference from spring training last year!

I'd rather have beckett miss the opener and be good for the playoff race and playoffs.

ya, luckily we have alot of depth to keep us alive. but i dont see us having as strong of a start as 07'

I disagree, our division is kind of cake walkish. Toronto is rebuilding, so is Baltimore, and Devil Rays will be Pesky, but they won't pose a threat. The American League East is a two horse race. I don't see the Yankee's ripping it out the gate either. They have some "un-proven" prospects pitching this year. This the bigs baby, Step up to get your rep up!

wwwwoooooowwwwwww.... and Steinbreiner says RedSox nation is a joke.....

Billy Crystal to Join Yankees, Play in Spring-Training Game

By Erik Matuszewski

March 11 (Bloomberg) -- Comedian Billy Crystal will sign a one-day contract with the New York Yankees and play in a spring- training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 13, one day before his 60th birthday.

Crystal is a New York native and lifelong Yankees' fan who frequently attends games at Yankee Stadium. In 2001, he directed and produced the film ``*61,'' which chronicled Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle as they sought to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record in 1961.

Crystal's minor-league contract was approved by Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and he'll join the Yankees tomorrow for workouts at the team's training facility in Tampa, Florida, according to a statement from the team.

``I've been waiting 50 years for this call,'' said Crystal, who will wear uniform No. 60. ``I'm overwhelmed by the generosity of the Yankees and Commissioner Selig. I know this (will) be tougher than the Broadway Softball League, but I'm looking forward to helping the younger players, which, by the way, is all of them.''

Crystal was the captain of his high school baseball team in New York and batted .348 during his senior season.

``The Yankees are excited to welcome the newest member of our team, known for his humor and wit as well as his undying love for the Yankees,'' Yankees Chief Operating Officer Lonn Trost said in a statement. ``The Yankees are very grateful to the commissioner's office for allowing us to extend this special invitation to Mr. Crystal.''

Country music singer Garth Brooks played in spring training games for the San Diego Padres in 1999, the New York Mets in 2000 and the Kansas City Royals in 2004 to raise money for his children's charity. He had 2 hits in 47 at-bats.

man, that just goes to show you, the Yankee's will sign ANYONE!

yeah I was just reading that...nice gesture on there part seeing he is gonna be 60 the day after the game...

You know, Ive always had a dream which I will do before I die.

I want to run down the aisle, jump on the dugout, jump down onto the field and do an all out sprint to 2nd base...Do a head first dive, stand up, point to the ump and make a very enthusiastic safe sign. (then get tackled by security)...but the thrill of that would be enthralling. Ill have to make sure I dont care to ever attend a game again.

what stadium is it? I think its the phillies? i dont know.. but some stadium has a police precinct inside the stadium, so if you fuck around, they can arraign you n shit within minutes

i think its actually a football stadium now that i think about it.

I would never do that at a football stadium. your asking to get a concussion

multimedia.heraldinteractive.com
Red Sox hurler Clay Buchholz and Penthouse Pet of the Year Erica Ellyson (above) are reportedly an item

lil whore.

"According to multiple clubhouse sources, the Red Sox will be holding a players-only meeting later this morning concerning the issue regarding the coaches potentially not being paid the $40,000 allocated the players. The sources indicated that the players will be issuing a mandate to Major League Baseball that if the coaches aren’t paid, then the team will not be getting on the plane later today for Japan." -- 3.19.08, The Bradford Files

Good for them.

whats that mean? what 40000?

I think each player is maybe getting paid $40,000 to do this japan trip? Or maybe its $40,000 total divided amongst the players? I dunno.

Francona irked
FORT MYERS, Fla. Terry Francona was visibly upset this morning when finding out his coaches will not be paid the $40,000 per man he thought they were getting.
Francona said he's been on the phone trying to reach Major League Baseball officials the past two days and has received no answers.
Francona had told his coaches they would be paid - just like the players - for the Japan jaunt which gets underway after today's game with the Blue Jays. Francona was told by members of the Oakland coaching staff that they were not being paid. Francona, at the time thought it was unusual that one team would be paid and the other not. So after he checked into it he found he and his coaches were getting nothing.
Francona said he doesn't care about himself but that in some cases the $40,000 represents some two-fifths of a coaches salary.
There'll more on this later.

Really cool online survey about yanks/Sox
nbcsports.msnbc.com

All mine were the same except for Varitek and Lowell.

Posada 65%
Varitek 35%

come on now.

and Lowell is 10000000000000000000000 times better 3rd basemen defensively then Arod. I think that number is a bit ghey as well.

did you see the boycott they did??

read before you post, lol. its like 3 posts before yours!

this will be interesting, the games are going to be at like 5 in the morning here, I don't see me waking up to catch that lol

im gonna try to.. i might come in late on tuesday so i can catch the first game. That one starts at 6:30am i believe.

Big ups the Sox players for doing that.

I already have my DVR set so I can watch when I wake up.

I cant wake up to get to work if my life depended on it... but i got up an hour earlier than i usually do to watch the game :)

Another one? Cant you let a good thing go to rest?

I mean, you dont expect them to pull it off again do you?

yes.

they have essentially a replica of the team they had last year, how can I not think it will happen again?

oh and btw
[IMG]i121.photobucket.com[/IMG]

Brandom Moss just tied it, top of 9th!!!! I fucking love sox season!!!!

nevah evah count the sox out!

1-0...on their way to another title!

lol. cmon tig, whats your 08' projection?

08 Projection.

Winning the East again.
and making it to the World Series.
What else?

Oh Yeah, Manny will have the best season of his career. and Mike Lowell MVP!

Cubs in 08,

Hey, Im an optimist?

oh yes, i can see manny having a terrific season. 1 day in, and he has 4 RBI's already.

Cubs have a good shot this year, but I'd still money on the Mets making it to the WS.

Unless, they......CHOKE, again!

2007 was the year of choke teams.

Sox almost choked towards the end... Angels choked with sox, Yankees choked with Indians, Indians choked with sox, Cubs choked period, Rockies had an amazing comeback and choked in the WS.... oh and dont forget about the patriots.

NL wont win a world series for many years.

In the NL I kind of like the Brewers as a dark horse. The Giants are fubar, and the Dodgers have not improved at all.

In the AL, I like the Sox in the East, but Detroit is going to hold down the Central, no way Chicago or Minnesota will be able to compete with the pace Detroit can put up. If they put Zumaya in the Bullpen again, I an see them having a strong run.

I also think Tampa bay is going to be Pesky this year.

Ah yes, I wish. But don't forget the reigning champs - Indians.

Tigers bullpen has convinced me they're gonna struggle this year, even though the offense migh taverage 6 runs per game.

They are just as bad as the yankees in the choke category. SOX ARE BEASTS!

I like the Indians, but they lack the depth that the Tigers have. But I did forget about them you are right. I see the Indians and Tigers kicking the crap out of each other all the way to the play offs lol

Jones looked good coming out the Pen the other day, and also once Rodney rehabs, he I expect good things from him.

Carmona and Sabathia will hardly be the 1,2 punch they were last year. Carmona was overused and will fatigue alot soon this year then last.

Rodney and Zumaya both look like 1-yr wonders to me. TJ is oooold. He gets whacked around way too much. I think his spring ERA was way up in the double-digits.

For the Tigers, it will come down to the starters keeping them in the game by pitching quality starts - 6+ innings.

Cabrera is going to feel the wieght of that extension he just got.

Weight after he got the dough? Doubtful.

8 years 153 million?? You dont think that added pressure will put a kink in his game? at least at the beginning of the season? Come on now.

I really don't think it will. Look at A-Rod.

Well we will see.

I am actually a lil worried bout my man Mikey Lowell...I cant wait to put on my fresh Jersey for opening day though :) Mike Lowell in the buildin!

No home? :P

No homo? :P

i think y'all know who i'm ridin with, but i can't say shit since they choked hard last season, but we'll see what happens in Oct . . . they are the favorite comin out of the NL

did you guys see the game early this morning? man, emil brown is a dumbass

of course we did, thats what we're taking about! lol

Lester as the #2 is a terrible thing.

I thought they should have tried to pull the trigger on the Coco/Lester deal to the twins for Santana

Twins didnt want Coco, they wanted Ellsbury.

we'll see it may have been worth it

emil brown redeems himself. sucks we have to wait til tuesday night for the rest of this series

lester is inconsistant. Manny is my boy though. So glad i drafted him for my fantasy team!

Roger Clemens Set to
Return to Red Sox

Rocket Will Pitch One Final Season in Boston, Then Retire*
Rusty Hardin to Replace Dr. Charles Steinberg as Maestro

Theo Epstein Stuns Baseball World By Working Behind Scenes
to Strike Secret $40 Million Deal with Roger

Boston Dirt Dogs has learned today that former Red Sox great Roger Clemens will return to Boston and pitch one final season in an attempt to rescue the beleaguered BoSox rotation. Theo Epstein reportedly was sold on signing Clemens after fully digesting the 18,000-word statistical report Hendricks Sports Management issued to rebut accusations that the pitcher's career rebounded about the time he was accused by that scoundrel Brian McNamee of using performance-enhancing drugs.

Epstein is expected to announce the $40 million deal, done completely behind the scenes, later this morning. Red Sox manager Terry Francona will name Clemens as the Red Sox fifth starter. Clemens is tentatively slated to join the team in mid-July after an extended spring training.

The Hendricks report compared Clemens' performance during the second half of his career to those of Nolan Ryan, Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson. Theo was sold. Epstein also referenced Clemens' testimony before Congress, where the Hall of Fame lock denied use of any performance-enhancing drugs. That clear and focused testimony convinced the nation, and Epstein, that the Rocket wasn't fueled by anything illegal during his time in Toronto and New York and that his legacy will remain in tact.

After Clemens speaks to the media at a press conference todat, his longtime attorney Rusty Hardin will also be introduced as the man who will attempt to fill the deep void left when Dr. Charles Steinberg bolted for Los Angeles and scored a coup by locking up Marilyn McCoo for the LA Coliseum extravaganza on Saturday night. That's when John Henry made the call to Hardin.

In Hardin's first act as Red Sox Maestro, he reportedly asked Jose Canseco to speak at the Clemens press conference. Canseco is in New York promoting his book "Vindicated", which pretty much all but clears Clemens of any wrongdoing during the steroid era. When reached by BDD this morning to confirm his appearance, Canseco said he would not be in attendance, adding "the time is not right"...





















































April Fools!

lol, did u write that whole thing Bri??

that game sucked. youkilis was out at home plate...they should still be playing in extra innings

which game? last nights? I couldnt watch it =( Still havent purchased my 2008 MLB.tv

If ya saw the reply Variteks shot WAS a homerun. SO it went the way it should have went.

+ 3 Run Home Run

thank god redsox season is here.... now i have something to do almost every day

dice-k and papelbon were fire =/

Dice-K will win 20 games this year.

HAHAHAA...Pedro hurts Hammy.

He needs to just retire. Mets and Cubs might as well just throw in the towel now. They have absolutely no depth in the bullpen.
They are very lucky they got Santana otherwise they'd def finish no better then 3rd.

SOX IN 08!

speaking of which, should i get mlb.tv premium, or just the standard mlb.tv? anyone know what the difference is? Is it worth the extra scrill?

good question, i just stick to regular ol mlb.tv but i don't even know the difference

Doesn't MLB Extra Innings have more than one commercial? I'd rather watch a blank screen than see the same commercial break every time.

Just wanted to jump in and see if anyone wants to hook me up with tickets.. I may just spend a few days in boston trying to scalp some tickets and see a few games once school gets out. I couldn't get tickets from my usual outlet this year.

I cna get you some man. I just scored SRO tix for the sunday night game against the yankees for 80 bucks for the pair. i got the dudes number and he can get me whatever, whenever. he has other seats as well. I just like SROS for other wise expensive games like the yankees.

premium has 2 benfits. You can watch games in 700k+ (better than the standard mlb.tv package which is 400k) and you can use tiled windows to watch more than one game at a time.

If you're not the type of person to watch a bunch of games at once i would go with the standard subscription. I use standard. If you're looking to do a video-out to your tv, premium might be a better option for better quality video.

nbcsports.msnbc.com

look at this stupid shit about Manny. If theres one player in the whole league I would say isnt a juice head, it would be him.

Manny = Juice head? Highly doubtful.
Manny = Pot head? Highly likely.

^^^^^ lol :)

The new Yankee Stadium may be cursed!

A devilish Boston fan working on a concrete crew at the $1.3 billion stadium covertly buried a Red Sox T-shirt under what will become the visiting team's locker room to jinx the Yanks, two construction workers told The Post yesterday.



"In August, a Red Sox T-shirt was poured in a slab in the visitor's clubhouse. It's the curse of the Yankees," one worker said. "Nobody knows about it. It's in the floors, it's buried."

The workers say they now fear that they unwittingly helped hex their beloved Bronx Bombers.

"I don';t want to be responsible for sinking the franchise," said a second worker, who witnessed the sabotage. "I respect the stadium."

The Post has withheld their identities because they are not authorized to speak to media.

This latest hex is above and beyond any typical ritual - like wearing a lucky shirt or hat - that fans typically do to boost their luck.

"It sounds a little unprecedented to me," said Tim Wiles, director of research at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown.

"I guess if the Yankees go 86 years in the new ballpark without a win we'll know if we are on to something," he said, referring to Boston's previous infamous losing streak after they sold Babe Ruth.

"If I was a Yankees fan, that is my house. I don't want a Red Sox [T-shirt] under my house," he added.

Chris Wertz, co-owner of the Red Sox bar Professor Thom's in the East Village, laughed at the ingenuity of the worker.

"I won't be surprised in the least bit to see that visiting locker room torn up and relaid right away," he said. "This what makes the game special for baseball fans. It's not a mean thing, but something they will take seriously."

Red Sox fans, he said, will see the buried garment as a good-luck charm, especially after years of seeing the retired numbers of four legendary players displayed in Fenway Park.

It has long displayed "9" for Ted Williams, "4" for Joe Cronin, "1" for Bobby Doerr and "8" for Carl Yastrzemski - which comes out to 9-4-18, the day before the World Series that resulted in the last Red Sox championship until 2004.

Baseball historians said these kinds of superstitions are not something to be scoffed at.

"Curses start off very easily. It's all the power of suggestion and they take on a life of their own," said Dan Gordon, co-author of the 2007 book "Haunted Baseball."

"Even the 'Curse of the Bambino' didn't really take off until the 1980s. Before then it was just hard luck," he said.

Mickey Bradley, co-author of "Haunted Baseball," said a worker is said to have buried an unknown good-luck charm in a water main trench of the current Yankee Stadium back in 1920.

"Prior to that, they never they won a World Series," he said.

Players can also bring curses to their teams.

"Look at the curse of A-Rod. The Yankees haven't won since [Alex Rodriguez] came to their game. There's probably more to that than a T-shirt," said Peter Nash, author of "Boston's Royal Rooters," a history of Red Sox fans.

"This just takes the rivalry to whole new level. If you look at 2004, the Yankees were up three games. If Boston lost that, seriously, the whole franchise would have been decimated," said Nash, who performed with the rap duo Third Bass before writing about baseball.

"I think there is a curse in effect already. Maybe the Red Sox T-shirt is like the icing on the cake, a nice little F-you from Boston," he said.

The year 2004, of course, was the year the Red Sox broke their own curse and won the World Series after beating the Yankees in the playoffs.

Still, stadiums have long had their own curses.

One of them is the 1945 "Billy Goat" curse at Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago cubs.

Legend has it that William Sianis placed a curse on the team after stadium staff refused to let him enter with his pet goat. The team hasn't played in the World Series since 1945.

Superstition in stadiums can also cut the other way and help a team.

The Texas Rangers languished in their old stadium from 1972 to 1993, until they moved into a new ballpark the following year. Since then, the team won three division titles. More recently, the Tampa Rays may be cursed by their own new stadium, which was partially built over a cemetery.

Over the past decade, the team had the worst record in all of Major League Baseball four times and finished last place in their division nine times.

As for the buried emblem of hated Boston, the Yankees say they aren't the least bit worried.

"It sounds like a tall tale, and it would take more than a Red Sox T-shirt to put a curse on the Yankees," said team spokesman Howard Rubenstein.

^^ is this for real??

yes, apparently.

lol, thats great, on the same note, the yankees haven't won a world series since they beat the mets

correction, since they aquired A-Rod ;)

I just saw this on the news. LMAO!

wow!

Was I the only one that Fox cut off the LAST pitch of the game to go to the start of the NASCAR race?

new england folks are the most annoying


i.e. vicious circle

NEW YORK -- So much for the curse. The New York Yankees have ended a construction worker's attempt to jinx their new stadium with a buried Boston Red Sox jersey.

Team officials watched Sunday as construction workers removed the jersey, with slugger David Ortiz's name on it, from two feet of concrete in a service corridor of the stadium that's under construction.

The team says a construction worker -- who is a Red Sox fan -- recently buried the jersey there while on the job. Two other supervisors found the tattered shirt Saturday.

The Yankees plan to donate the jersey to charity, and may pursue a lawsuit against the construction worker.boston.redsox.mlb.com

on what grounds could they pursue a lawsuit??

and yeah, i got cut off by fox too, for fuckin nascar

Sabotage I guess?

fox cut me off too. I was like "WTF channel is FX?!??!? fuck fuck fuck"

missed last pitch. So pissed, especially after waiting through a 2 hour rain delay. fuck you nascar

so I don't have a TV in my college dorm and wanted to listen to the game, while watching it on Yahoo Gamechannel. Do you know of any loopholes so I don't have to pay for the MLB sponsored TV/radio? or should I just man up and buy it

Heres a typical story about a Yankee fan that makes me feel justified for hating on them:

Last night. I was just chillin in the standing room section right behind home plate. So Im with a couple people, so we were in a little crew of 5. So this kid wearing all Yankees shit comes and stands next to us.
One of the kids I was with goes..."Ok need a vote, should we let this kid stand next to us or tell him he's not welcome" (kids literally right there and can obv hear what is being said).
So I go "he can, as long as he doesnt cheer for the Yankees"
So my friend goes, "ok kid you can stay here just dont say anything"

So Yankee kid goes, "Ya know what I dont really give a fuck what you say"
My friend goes "I dont really care what you think, just dont say anything"
(we were obv joking around with the kid)
Kid gets all attitude and my boys like "ok apparently someone doesnt have a sense of humor"
Yankee kid goes, "I lost my sense of humor in this place a long time ago"
My friend goes "thats cuz you moved here isnt it?"
Yankee: "yeah"
My boy: "From NY right?"
We all start cracking up and the kid starts flipping out calling us fags, and pussies and then goes to walk away.

typical uptight fan who cant handle the fact the Yankees are now the clowns of baseball. so sad. hahaha

On the first day of school a first grade teacher explains to her class
that she is a Yankees fan.
She asks her students to raise their hands if they, too, are Yankees
fans.
Wanting to impress their teacher, everyone in the class raises their
hand except one little girl.
The teacher looks at the girl with surprise,
"Janie, why didn't you raise your hand?" "Because I'm not a Yankees
fan," she replied.
The teacher, still shocked, asked, "Well, if you are not a Yankees fan,
then who are you a fan of?"
"I am a Red Sox fan, and proud of it," Janie replied.
The teacher could not believe her ears. "Janie, why pray tell are you a
Red Sox fan?"
"Because my mom is a Red Sox fan, and my dad is Red Sox fan, so I'm a
Red Sox fan too!"
"Well," said the teacher in a obviously annoyed tone, "that is no
reason for you to be a Red Sox fan. You don't have to be just like your
parents all of the time. What if your mom were an idiot and your dad
were a moron, what would you be then?"
"Then," Janie smiled, "I'd be a Yankees fan."
-----------------------------------------------------
A family of New York Yankee fans headed out one Saturday to shop for
the youngest boy's birthday.
While in the sports shop the son picks up a Red Sox jersey and says to
his older sister, "I've decided to become a Red Sox fan and I would like
this Boston Red Sox jersey for my birthday."
His big sister is outraged by this and promptly whacks him upside his
head and says, "Go talk to mother."
Off goes the little lad with the jersey in hand and finds his mother.
"Mom?"
"Yes, son?"
"I've decided I'm going to be a Red Sox fan and I would like this
jersey for my birthday."
The mother is outraged at this, promptly whacks him around the head and
says, "Go talk to your father!"
Off he goes with the Red Sox jersey in hand and finds his father.
"Dad?"
"Yes, son?"
"I've decided I'm going to be a Red Sox fan and I would like this
jersey for my birthday."
The father is outraged and promptly whacks his son in the back of his
head and says, "No son of mine is ever going to be seen in THAT!"
About half an hour later they're all back in the car and heading
towards home. The father turns to his son and says "Son, I hope you've
learned something today?"
The son says, "Yes, Dad, I have."
"Good! And what is it you learned?"
The son replies, "I've only been a Red Sox fan for an hour and I
already hate you Yankee bastards!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Four baseball fans - a Cubs fan, a Cardinals fan, a Red Sox fan, and a
Yankees fan - are climbing a mountain and arguing about who loves his
team more.
The Cubs fan insists he is the most loyal. "This is for the Cubs!" he
yells, and jumps off the side of the mountain.
Not to be outdone, the Cardinals fan shouts, "This is for the
Cardinals!" and throws himself off the mountain.
The Red Sox fan is next to profess his love for his team.
He yells, "This is for everyone!" and pushes the Yankees fan off the
mountain.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A Red Sox fan liked to amuse himself by scaring every Yankees fan he
saw strutting down the street in an obnoxious NY pinstripe shirt. He
would swerve his van as if to hit them, then swerve back just missing
them.
One day while driving along, he saw a priest. He thought he would do a
good deed, so he pulled over and asked the priest, "Where are you going,
Father?"
"I'm going to give Mass at St. Francis church, about two miles down the
road," replied the priest.
"Climb in, Father. I'll give you a lift!" The priest climbed into the
passenger seat, and they continued down the road.
Suddenly, the driver saw a Yankees fan walking down the road, and he
instinctively swerved as if to hit him. But, as usual, he swerved back
onto the road just in time.
Even though he was certain that he had missed the guy, he still heard a
loud THUD. not knowing where the noise came from, he glanced in his
mirrors but still didn't see anything.
He then remembered the priest, and he turned to the priest and said,
sorry Father, I almost hit that Yankees fan."
"That's OK," replied the priest "I got him with the door."

love those jokes.

Manny is beast.

^^^^^yes

Tek is beast.

bostondirtdogs.boston.com

I concur. He's hitting real well this year.

Back to the Bronx tonight. See if these Yankee pussies can put out the fire

Maybe they'll sneek next door and bury some trinkits in the new park

+ 1
Go Sox!

LOooks like Mussina needs to hang it up.

hahaha

Welcome back, PAPI!!

boston.redsox.mlb.com

Pitcher Kyle Farnsworth of the New York Yankees has been suspended for three games and fined an undisclosed amount for intentionally throwing a pitch at Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox during the top of the seventh inning of the Thursday, April 17 game between the Clubs at Yankee Stadium. Bob Watson, Vice President of On-Field Operations for Major League Baseball, made the announcement.

Farnsworth's suspension had been scheduled to begin tonight, when New York plays at Baltimore's Camden Yards. However, he has elected to file an appeal. Thus, the discipline issued to him will be held in abeyance until the process is complete.

Finally a nice day to go to a game!! and not 40 degrees.

you goin tonight?

sox are on fire.

yeah. Got tix right off the site last week.

damn, I need to get some tix for games this year. I want to surprise Amy and take her one night. Tig, where do you go to get tix?

www.redsox.com :)

good luck finding two seats next to each other on that site. The whole point to is to go and sit with Amy, not bring her and send her on her way lol

Get standing room tickets... hope its cold outside, or the game is an early blowout, take seats of people who left.

So not that easy with Amy lol

Nah man, REDSOX.com is a good place. I got these tix on Thursday. Just check a week before the game you want and normally they have some. I got 2 tix right behind home plate for tonight on thursday.

Other then that I got a dude or craigslist. Let me know any games ur interested in.

I could use some tickets. Anything on a weekend after may 26.

Dustin Pedroia, damn (no homo)

fucking delcarmen and lopez blew it.

Delcarmen is inconsistent. I never have a good feeling when he gets put in, in a tight game. Wheres Hanson?

Yesterdays disaster... bostondirtdogs.boston.com

Once everyone is over with the flu, and Lowell is back. Things will turn around quick.

www.sexySOXgirls.com

lindsey looks like a meth fiend, how'd she get such high marks??

Two weeks without any posts.


well,

1. The Rays are in first
2. The Yankees are in fourth
3. Everyone has either been sick or hurt
4. I saw Manny hi-five a fan in the middle of a play.

Who'da thought

the manny high five was AWESOME

how about jon lester.. what a story.

Sox in First? is it really that much of a surprise?

yankees are blow hards. nope not a surprise either.

lester's the man

I think all my neighbors could hear me last night. I couldn't believe it

Am I the ONLY person watching baseball this year? We're at .620, come on folks!

dude, Mike Lowell & JD Drew doing it big! Lets face it, the Red Sox are the Cadillacs of MLB!

Mike Lowell is a beast. Been sayin it since day 1!

redsox are the best team is baseball... again

bet the sox are glad they kept lowell now.

Guy is an MVP candidate. That woulda been the worst move they made since getting rid of Babe Ruth.

they probably wont feel that way toward the end of the contract

after this past weekend the red sox are cookin BROOMS hahahah

Angel Hernandez is the worst umpire ever. It's bad enough that he ejects the guest announcer in Chicago a few years back; but ejecting Lugo and Tito was just f--ckin stupid. He's not just unfair to the Sox, but every team. MLB needs to ditch POS umps.

going to sundays game in baltimore. wooo. Gonna see colon pitch

i don't know what your talking about specificlly, but i agree, angel hernandez is a horrible umpire, i've seen him blow multiple calls in one game . . .

I live 45 miles from Baltimore. Close enough to be blacked out; far enough to not go often. Damn it.

often? i live in richmond va and went to 5 games last year :)

cuttin that way down this year though. got expensive.

Um, I hate to hijack your thread...But...The CUBS are the best team in baseball.
We would smoke you guys...

WOTCH!

I dont believe any National League team would beat the Sox. in the playoffs where it matters.

who are the cubs? Ohhhhh, the choke team from last season. :P

Choke team?

Wow...

Let's see come October.
And without a DH?

Hmmm....We'd take you guys in 5.

No doubt.

I went to the game tuesday night. Got tickets from stubhub. We started at Boston Beer Works, then to CaskNFlagon and finally to the park. I had a pretty good buzz by the time i got there!

Ya, Cubs were swept in the first round of post season...

Sox swept first round.
Won second round 4-3

Oh and should i remind you that the sox are undefeated in the World Series this millenium? I don't think any national league could put up much of a fight.

Ya, Cubs were swept in the first round of post season...

Sox swept first round.
Won second round 4-3

Oh and should i remind you that the sox are undefeated in the World Series this millenium? I don't think any national league team could put up much of a fight.

I do think that Red Sox are better than the Cubs hands down...BUT, who here picked the Giants to win against the Pats? I'd say that was a much bigger upset than if the Cubs were to beat the Sox in the WS. It could happen!

Red sox fans are new YANKEE fans..

You guys are smug....
Your team can do no wrong and is always better no matter how bad they play.

Um, Who has a better record?
And before you say--The NATIONAL league is weak...
Don't-
Give us the DH and we'll see who's weak.

I'm just sayin...

Coco almost ogt knocked the fuck out last night

yo, cocoa was bobbin and weavin, lol, he did make shields wiff and then stung him lol.

the red sox vs rays thing the past two nights was pretty awesome

Attention Cubs fans: The forum has a feature that allows you to begin your own thread. You could start another discussion; and maybe you can call it "Hey, let's talk about teams in the inferior National League".

By the way, last night's brawl was unreal; I can only wait to see how it progresses through the rest of the season. I can't justify Coco's actions, but I'm glad he did it.

there is a 2008 major league baseball thread but all you idiot non-a's fans keep posting here!

I have nothing really against the A's other than possibly both the ugliest stadium in professional sports and the worst team colors in baseball; but they're still better than the Cubbies.

sportsillustrated.cnn.com

5 Sox leading the All Star voting...If it wasnt for ghey-rod it would be 6.

btw, hope the yankees have fun trying to fill in for Wang/wong whatever the hell it is till Sept... :)

I hope Manny doesn't play again in the All Star game, he's so gangsta! lol

How bout those Rays! 1st place!

yeah today, the first week of July, we'll see how they are looking in September

barber is just mad cuz the sox got swept haha

www.youtube.com view

Hey Tampa, keep beating each other off. Keep playing Sweet Caroline after your victories to mock us. Just remember it's the first fucking week in July. In a weird way I'm actually glad you swept us. I think it's good for baseball if you can hold off your collapse until mid August. And don't worry the collapse will definitely come. It's just a matter of time. After all you guys are Tampa Bay and we're Boston. Don't ever forget that.

PS - What was up with all the empty seats? They kept saying it was a capacity crowd, but it didn't look it to me. If Red Sox fans weren't there the place would have been half empty.

Woah! You guys been takin' notes from the Yankee fans? lol

ha ha, I meant to put that I didn't write that. It comes from a website here, barstoolsports.com

They are homers all the way, I just thought the video was funny!

I hope Tampa does well and they make a race of the AL East with us. That would be all you could ask for!

Oh shit, didn't realize that's where it came from...and just saw the vid. lmao!

They find the funniest shit sometimes lol

Well, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'll be at the ballgame on Tuesday, lol.

Although I'll be just as happy if something happens during the car ride home, lol.

ha ha, I can't blame you!

Here's another funny video from that site:

www.collegehumor.com

SWEEP THE LEG NEXT TIME!

oh shit!

I know what Chris Tucker woulda said!

Red Sox fans--
Would u rather sweep the 1st place d-rays or the 3rd place yankees???

Rays.
Id rather win the AL East then fight for Wild Card spot

2008 American League - Standings
EAST W L PCT GB HOME ROAD RS RA DIFF STRK L10
1.Tampa Bay 55 33 .625 - 36-14 19-19 424 349 +75 Lost 1 8-2
2.Boston 52 39 571 4.5 31-10 21-29 453 377 +76 Lost 2 3-7
3.NY 47 42 .528 8.5 25-22 22-20 417 394 +23 Won 2 5-5

:)

ha ha, tig will tell you this is so true!

www.youtube.com view

shit cant see it...what is it?

its like my new haircut except insert red sox fan, subtract fuckin skank for fuckin yanks and subtract jagerbomb for Knuckleball!

lol no joke. Only been to fenway about 7-8 times but its definetly true

Tigers just killing it. I hate my busy life...I need to go to more games!

knuckleballs...wicked! lol, that's a good parody.

9-0 going into the all-star break.
4 3-hit games & a combined 1 hitter.
1/2 game out.

Sox back atop the AL east

yankees fans are idiots

if you want the AL to win, how you gonna boo papelbom?

it definatly rattled him

what about all the J.D Boos? Poor guy.

They present him the trophy and all you hear is boooooooo

Dice-K

(11-1) Might not win 20, but he sure is nasty...

Yankees fans are classless!!

The only person we would BOO in that situation is A-Rod...if Jeter or anyone else came thru like Drew and Pap did we wouldnt Boo...

classless. God I hate the Yankees.

Guess it wasnt Torre's fault they havent won a WS this century yet...

They just suck terribly. lol. PEDROIA FTW!!

Fuck that.

Go CUBS.

Can you say best team in Baseball?
We are loaded...

The Cubs play in the National League.

2 examples:

CC Sabathia goes from an AL Team to Milwakuee...he's 9-0 or some shit.
Manny goes from the SOX to the Dodgers and is murdering NL pitching.

American and National League is apples and oranges.

3rd Example: The Detroit Tigers

Record against NL: Over .700 winning percentage.
Record against AL: THEY FUCKING SUCK! FAT BASTARDS!

Um, We own Milwaukee this year...
And let's not get started on the DH.

The baseball you guys play is for washed up players that can't play defense.
How many Dh's will get into the hall of fame?

Um, None.

PAPI!

How do you explain the All-Star game dominance? And I'd bet that David Ortiz is a LOCK for HOF!

well we will see come the World Series comes...

lets not forget the last 2 WS the Sox were in 2004, 2007...the won in a 4 game sweep. I think thats pretty convincing that the NL is inferior.

Ortiz will not make into the HOF.
The guy only plays half the game!

There are players in both leagues that have similar numbers who play both defense and offense.

Case in point.

If you eliminate the DH. Where does he play? 1st base? He becomes a huge liabilty. Alot of teams would of course play him. But he gets pulled in the 7th for a defensive replacement every single game.

Does anybody know why the DH was instituted? I do.
because the NL dominated the Al for almost 30 years...From the 40's to when the rule was instituted in 1974.

The NL had double the attendance and scored a 3rd more runs on average per year.
not to mention dominated in pitching statitics.

The AL owners started it because they were losing money.
If AL pitchers had to hit...the game would be extremely different.

BTW: The reason Mannny is doing well..Has to do with him playing in the weakest division in baseball.

Against the NL central/East he's hitting .246
And don't tell me he's not a defensive liabilty? It's like watching a blind man roaming left field.


I think you guys forget there are good teams that don't reside within the biased ESPN local viewing area.

If you watched the Cubs like I have this year. You'll see they have a complete team.

Did I mention piching wins games?
We have the best pitching baseball...We had 5 pitchers make the all star team..

Head-to-head, year after year. Same goes to World Series.

By the way, I was rooting for the Cubs to finally pull it off this year. Until I met this girl at a wedding a couple of months ago...she was THE most annoying super-fan of any team I've ever met. I was talking about the Tigers to a friend at my table and she thought it'd be cool to invite herself into the conversation and tell me why the Cubs are the best! Fuck, you haven't won shit in a 100 years and you want to argue why your team is the best? STFU!

PS - She was not very cute, or I'd still be rooting for them. lol

That's because the AL doesn't have to account for defensive switches.

You guys play a game of 9 up...You start with 9 and finish with the same 9.
Pinch hitters? If your an AL fan..other than interleague play, it's never done.


Bottom line..Your league is configured to score runs. Not to mention AL pitchers record more innings of work..Because they don't hit. That to me is a sham....In the NL most times through the order you can count on the pitchers spot in the order to record at least 3 outs a game.

I won't count this years all star game...Dan fucking Ugla cost the NL the win.
2 error's in the same inning?

We had that game won.

if that's not a case for Uggla being a DH nothing is.

fuck a DH, thats not baseball

correct me if i'm wrong, but doesn't scoring runs win ball games?


sure it happens. but the starting 9 are the best hitters on the field... why pinch hit? i mean, i guess u would pinch hit if u had a lefty on the bench and a lefty pitching...

Are the beloved Bosox going to miss the playoffs?

Hmmm...Stay tuned folks!

Once Mike Lowell gets back into the lineup and Varitek picks up the slack shit is on!!

Big Big games coming up though.

Three baseball fans were on their way to a game when one noticed
a foot sticking out of the bushes by the side of the road.
They stopped and discovered a nude female dead drunk.
Out of respect and propriety, the Cubs fan took off his cap and
placed it over her right breast.
The Red Sox fan took off his cap and placed it over her left
breast.
Following their lead, but with some grumbling, the Yankee fan took
off his cap and placed it over her private area..
The police were called and when the officer arrived, he conducted
his inspection. First, he lifted up the Cubs cap, replaced it, and
>wrote
down some notes.
Next, he lifted the Sox cap, replaced it, and wrote down some more
notes.
The officer then lifted the Yankees cap, replaced it, then
lifted it again, replaced it, lifted it a third time, and replaced
it one last time.
The Yankee fan was getting upset and finally asked, 'What are you,
a pervert or something? Why do you keep lifting and looking,
lifting and looking?'
Well,' said the officer. 'I am simply surprised.
Normally when I look under a Yankees hat,
I find an ass hole.

On the first day of school a first grade teacher explains to her class that she is a Yankees fan. She asks her students to raise their hands if they, too, are Yankees fans.

Wanting to impress their teacher, everyone in the class raises their hand except one little girl.

The teacher looks at the girl with surprise and says, "Janie, why didn't you raise your hand?"

"Because I'm not a Yankees fan," she replied.

The teacher, still shocked, asked, "Well, if you are not a Yankees fan, then who are you a fan of?"

"I am a Red Sox fan, and proud of it," Janie replied.

The teacher could not believe her ears. "Janie, why pray tell are you a Red Sox fan?"

"Because my mom is a Red Sox fan, and my dad is Red Sox fan, so I'm a Red Sox fan too!"

"Well," said the teacher in a obviously annoyed tone, "that is no reason for you to be a Red Sox fan. You don't have to be just like your parents all of the time. What if your mom were an idiot and your dad were a moron, what would you be then?"

"Then," Janie smiled, "I'd be a Yankees fan."

Same goes for an Ohio State fan! Which just happens to be the team that Steinbrenner roots for...although Jeter can be found at Michigan home games almost every year.

ahhh....the longest and greatest rivalry in sports history, buckeyes and wolverines. We have more overall wins against the fuckeyes.

1/2 Game out now.

wheres the yankees at? hello? ny? testing 1,2?

^^^
:D

LETS GO METS!!

I can't believe you said that on a Red Sox string.

Its the truth! There is no comparison between a game that happens once a year, has an intense and physical sport like football, and features young student athletes who only get 4 shots in their life time (if they're very lucky) to get the bragging rights to this rivalry - and a professional sports rivalry. A-Rod makes a few thousand dollars per every swing he takes - regardless of the outcome. How can him and others possibly approach each game with the intensity of a 21-year old kid who has spent a year preparing for one big moment that he'll be remembered for well past his own lifetime.

Just try driving through Columbus with some Michigan decals on your car or try going to a game in either stadium wearing the opposite team's gear.

here we go timlin here we go............................

FAIL!

they need to stop using him...he's like a batting practice pitcher

for once the yankees are doing something GREAT for the redsox :)

One win away from a clinch. Be there tonight and tomorrow...hopefully they pull it off!

red sox ftw. Angels might give us some trouble this year.

Id rather play the Angels then the Rays @ this point.

The Angels track record against us in the playoffs recently has been less then stellar.

ya it has, but haven't they crushed us this year? Granted we had alot of injuries while playing them i suppose

yes they were 8-1 aganist us...but i like the Sox in the post season. they know what neesd to get done

Go Cubs....Nobody is talking about them.
If I was an American league team..I'd be afraid...We score just as many runs and have nasty pitching.

They are in the NL.

Ive witnessed the Sox sweep the Cardinals and the "fluke" Rockies in both World Series...my view of the NL is a bit bias.

I guess we will see.
When we spank you guys you'll be on here saying "I told you so".

WOTCH.

if you've been apart of my previous threads, that has never been the case and i really dont plan on it ever being the case. lmao.

Watch the Sox man-handle the "best" pitcher in the AL tonight.

Ok, Well see.


The Yanke- I mean Sox can't win forever.

Clinched the playoffs last night!! I feel like asshole on a skewer but it was all worth it!

and yanke- ? come on now son. Sox are nothing like the Yankees other in the fact that we are now the dominant force in the entire league. Watch ESPN they sure wont be pickin the CUBS! lol.

That's because ESPN sucks on the Red Sox tit for nourishment.
Man, I can't wait to spank the sacrifice that will (be) the American league team in the world series.


And finally put all you Red sox/American league fan boys out of your misery.

Long live Manny. Ya gonna miss him in the Playoffs

Fuck Manny. The way the team chemisty was before they traded him they prob wouldnt even have made the playoffs.

Youk is very reliable in that 4 spot. Dude MASHES!

Sox will beat the Angels 3-1
Sox will beat the Rays 4-2
Sox will sweep whoever they play in the WS.

Say what you want ya gonna miss Manny.

I like the Red Sox, but they not beating the Angles 3-1

The sox against the angles in the 2 playoff series when they won the world series are like 6-1 or something like that.

To be honest, I kind of have forgotten Manny was on the team this year. Ever since the trade the teams been more united, more consistent, and just seem to be having a great time. Every damn day when Manny was here all you heard was this non sense on the radio day in and day out...no more and I think thats what has compelled the Sox to once again reach the playoffs.

btw. PEDROIA FOR MVP!!!!

hank stienbrenner...biggest bitch in the universe? i think so. Id be ashamed to be a yankees fan. fuckin loser this guy is.

Steinbrenner rips MLB playoff system
Many people have been impressed with the Dodgers' recent turnaround, one which will likely land Joe Torre's club in the postseason next week. Just don't count Hank Steinbrenner among them. Steinbrenner, the Yankees' co-chairman, ripped Major League Baseball's divisional system in a column in this week's Sporting News, saying that the format allows teams to make the postseason even if their records don't warrant such an honor. "The biggest problem is the divisional setup in major league baseball. I didn't like it in the 1970s, and I hate it now," Steinbrenner wrote. "Baseball went to a multidivision setup to create more races, rivalries and excitement. But it isn't fair. You see it this season, with plenty of people in the media pointing out that Joe Torre and the Dodgers are going to the playoffs while we're not. "This is by no means a knock on Torre - let me make that clear-but look at the division they're in. If L.A. were in the AL East, it wouldn't be in the playoff discussion. The AL East is never weak.

You might be right with the Manny thing(excuse me Im a fan of his). But you gotta realize that the Angles that the Sox beat in those playoffs series arent the stack team that they have now, and they have the best Manager in the game, only reason people don't know this is because they play on the West Coast. Like I said before I like the Sox, just on the pure fact the I hate the Yankees, but it not gonna be a cake walk this year.

huh?

The Angels have had Soctia (sp) since the beginning of the decade...he was the coach when we sweeped them in 04 and when we beat em last year.
and they basically have the same exact team as they did last year, who the Sox easily beat in the playoffs in 04 and 07.

All I know is that the Sox at this point in the season have the best 1,2,3 pitching rotation in the game with Dice-K, Beckett, and Lester. Those 3 could easily shut down the Angels in 3 games and be on their way to the ALCS.

it will be a good series, but I dont anticipate too much drama.
They are in the AL WEST...they play the Mariners, Oakland, and Texas like 17 times each...niether of those teams have more then 76 wins...
everyone in the Al East has at least 83 wins (besides balt) The Sox are only 5 games behind the Angels in wins with a much harder schedule....I like their chances :)

i hate the angels, but i gotta defend them for last year. they were pretty banged up in the playoffs and were def not the same team they are right now. having said that, it will be tough to compete against that red sox rotation

Yeah the Match up of the Sox pitchers and the Angles line up is gonna be good I wish they met up in th ALCS instead that would be 7 good games

*sniff sniff*... do you smell that? smells like october baseball to me!

Beckett being hurt is going to be tough.

Lester is better anyway.

mets suck :(

i goota move

Lester isn't a better pitcher than Beckett. He might be this year, but Josh Beckett is the best big-game pitcher in the big leagues and is normally a top 10 pitcher in the game.

Beckett is a post season STUD (no homo, misquote)

He always shines in October and even with this injury he will pitch better then most people do healthy.

Lester is also shown he can handle the pressure.

Key to this series...Win game 1.

Angels-Sox will be a great series, I'm definitely try to catch all the games I can. Not so sure about Rays vs. Sox/Twins, although I do hope that Rays make it to the WS!

why do you hope the Rays make it to the WS!

here's my point ive been making all year and catch serious shit...

The Rays are like the Rockies. FLUKES! They have been a team for 10 years and have never had a winning season...
now all of a sudden they are the best team in the league...CINDERELLA DEAR! its luck. No one on that team has ever been to the postseason, they will feel the pressure and fail miserably. thats all.!

on another note, I really hope the twins lose becuz it will bolster Pedrioa the destroyas MVP candidacy!

Just because I like to root for the underdog! On paper, Red Sox are the best team, with the Angels not too far behind. I definitely hope the Twins beat the White Sox. I don't want to see Ozzie's stupid mug on TV any more!

lmao...

It seems like most people are going with the Angels or Rays to win. No one has faith in the Sox with all the injuries then with this Beckett news.

Sox are an experienced playoff team. They know what it takes. I got faith. But like I said, Game 1 is very very very crucial. They NEED to win it.

The Rays are not flukes. They outperformed their Pythagorean record, sure, but they're still a 92 win team even if you adjust it.

They have a DEEP bullpen and a STRONG rotation. The Rockies were freakishly hot and made a deep run in the playoffs. The Rays are legit.

thats the same argument I always get...

Unless teh Rays pull of a title this year and are as good if not better next year, they are flukes in my eyes. One year doesnt change thier status. Yes they are playing ok, but I need to see more then one good season to see otherwise...

Thier inexperience will show in the postseason.

They do have inexperience, no doubt. They also have Kazmir, Shields, Garza, Price, Sonnanstine, and Jackson. I'd love to see the White Sox or Twins knock off the Rays, but I'm just not sure. They're really good.

The thing is - they're stacked on both offense and defense for the long run - they have great young outfielders, infielders, and pitchers; the Rockies had a bunch of career year guys and Tulo and caught fire at the right time. That's the difference. They might not win the division next year, but they'll be an 88-95 win team.

The AL east is the best division in baseball by far.

true dat...id like to see Rays/Sox as well...Hopefully Lester bucks up and takes home a win...

good article..

nbcsports.msnbc.com

I think the Twins are more beatable the the ChiSox. So, go Twins!

btw, I stand by my Lester remark. If Beckett can find his A game again, I'll reconsider; but he needs to prove he's back 100% first

this new job and the work hours are seriously gonna fuck with watching the playoffs....

<---bitter!

Im goin to Common and NERD tonight...gonna miss most of GAME 1! :(

good game so far... pitchers are doing well... but its mostly a fielders game so far. many good plays

I'm praying we make it to the ALCS - I scored 2 tickets to game 5 of the alcs yesteday and I'll be flyin back to Boston to go!

my fiance's parents have tickets to that game too.

Jon Lester for president!
Jason Bay for vice president!

Crucial win. Sox own the Angels in the post season.

Angels are owned.

Nice win.

Say Manny Who, a Manny What?

I was pretty pissed off when Tito yanked Lester in the 8th...Kid was still throwing high 90s and had a 4 hit shutout...

I love OKI, but why go to a guy whos fastball is 10 mph slower on average and whos off speed pitches arent any more effective then Lesters was??

I was more pissed when Masterson threw that passed ball. I knew that would cost us, and it sure did. Thankfully we were able to come back

That call on the 3rd Base tag was lame, but Sox were clearly the better team through the series.

Having said that, Crickett...you posted this -



We all WOTCHED! LOL...

haha...Cubs are in the NL they are WEAK!

That call wasnt lame...it was the proper call. Tek had him cleary out and the ground caused the ball to fall out the glove. If the runners ass had knocked it out, I understand, but the tag was cleary put on him and upon falling came lose after his glove hit the ground...

It serves them right...1 out with a runner on 3rd and your going to attempt a squeeze against a guy who throws a 97-98 mph fastball...not gonna happen,,,plus he was a lefty leaving the entire 3rd baseline exposed.
Dumb call on Mike S's part.

Tig, the guy bunting is the perfect guy for that play, I think he had it called right. They just didn't execute well...Anyways, on to Rays-Sox...this will be fun!

Its too much of a gamble IMO...if they were up 2-1 in the series, I could see that being a good call...but being down by a game and with the go ahead run on third...I dont know..iffy call...

Im pumped, Im assuming there wont be a sweep so game 5 is next Thursday in Boston...My Thursday gig is right next to Fenway, should be poppin!!!

i think it woulda made for sense to just smash the ball to the outfield... it was only 1 out... go for the pop up sacrifice, its safer.

Thats what I am saying, but I think they were concerned that Aybar or whatever his name is couldnt hit it deep enough.

I think just a bunt and run on contact woulda made more sense...less pressure to get it down and wouldnt leave the runner hanging. or just PH for the guy.

i'm so freakin annoyed with people saying that the angels made the wrong call by going for the suicide squeeze. not necessarily you guys, but the talk show people.

jim rome is blathering on about it right now, but you KNOW if they had successfully laid it down, all we would be hearing is about how the angels are aggressive and they win by hustling and diving and being dirty and all that other dumb shit that people say about them.

Jim Rome = bitch!

I just think at that point it was expected...even the commentators on TBS were calling it. I understand the count was 2-0 and more then likely the next pitch would be an over the middle type fastball...

Maybe if they tried on 1-0 or 2-1 or something, I just think I was expected and the Sox were ready for it whether it was laid down or not...

Thats how the Angels play. I just think being down a game with the go ahead runner on third with one out and a very speedy batter and runner, a contact bunt or anything else might have been smarter.

IMO, the 2-0 squeeze was expected by pretty much everyone.

Overly aggressive...

but come on...the Angels are what, 1-12 against the SOX in October...it was only a matter of time till they lost anyway :)

mike lowell is out. sucks for boston

Yup..but we beat the best team in Baseball w/o him, so I am sure its a confidence booster for the whole team.

not to mention our second string guys are the heroes lately

ehar lackeys comments about how he's pissed that they lost cuz he knows the Angels are the better team. hes an ass

He is an ass.

But... I kind of agree with him in a way. I subscribe to the Billy Beane theory that says all you gotta do is make the playoffs. Then, each series is a crapshoot (i.e. 2007 Rockies). A lot is riding on who is injured, who is lucky, who is in a slump, who has a bad game, etc.

Just becuz you have the best record in the AL doesnt mean your the best team...no other team in the AL WEST had a record above .500...they play each of those teams 16-18 times...its not that hard to win 100 games playing in that division...

The Sox on paper is statistically better then the Angels in almost every category. So his arguement is just Sore Loser shit...thats now 4 times the Sox have knocked them out of the playoffs this decade.

fucking sore loser bitches.

Yeah I didn't mean to declare the Angels the better team, I was just saying that he has a point...in his kinda weird backwards thinking way.

Tig, where are you playing that Thursday near Fenway?

Ill be @ Foundation Lounge in Kenmore...lil more upscale then the bars around there.

Yeah I know it. That's a cool room.

Dear Mr. Timlin,

Retire.

Your friend,
BriGuy

^^^^^(what he said)


btw....Jamie Moyer-no better

I just saw Craig Stadler in the Marriot where my office is...he's mad tall. haha and hard to recognize when he's not in one of his crazy suits

that dude is such a tool, lol.

so, what are we thinkin tig?

Confession: I watched football last night.

Dig at Tig & Briguy: they're cooking humiliating defeat to an expansion team that'll be moving to a new city soon!

I'm thinking that the Sox were too lax yesterday. They made Garza look like Nolan Ryan in his friggin prime...Garza is by far the worst pitcher in that rotation...

Im a bit worried about Sonnanstine...Dudes dirty and he is an off speed pitcher. So going from a guy throwing 97 mph heaters to a guy who relies on off speed 80% of the time, will take a bit of adjusting...but with that, the same will be said with Wake. Lester throws heat, now the Rays will need to adjust to the slow shit...

Wake is a stud against the Rays tho...I think he's like 18-5 or some shit lifetime so the odds are def with the Sox...

They just need to be prepared for the slow shit and wait on it. Theres no way in hell the Rays will hit like they did yest...the weather will be nice so if Wake can get that knuckle working it will be good for the Sox.

Out of any game this series this is the one where the pitcher will need to control the tempo. The Sox need to get on top early and Wake needs to have some control tonight. If his knuckle is working, it will be a wrap.

Like I said, the Sox thought they had that game in the bag...they were back at home and had Lester on the mound...I am sure it was a surprise to them as much as the fans with what happened.

The Sox were down 3-0 to the Yanks in 04 and 3-1 to the indians last season...never count them out!!

Tonight is crucial tho...they need to jump on Sonnanstine earlier...

and for christ sake tito...PUT IN COCO!!!

We gotta win tonight. Please. I'm going on Thursday (flying back to Boston and flying out at 6 AM the next morning so I can get to work on time!) and I'd hate to see an elimination game.

1. If they must use him tonight, I hope tonight will be the last time Wakefield pitches ever again.
2. Coco Crisp is underrated
3. Ellsbury is overrated
4. Jed Lowrie is better than Cora as a starter
5. I'd have Dice-K on short rest tonight

Wake's record against the Rays is dictating why he is pitching tonight...He has had great success against them in his career, so I believe that is the underlying reason he is pitching tonight. Hopefully he goes out with a bang!

Crisp should def be starting tonight. Ellsbury is extremely cold right now and putting Crisp in will not take away anything defensively and it really couldnt get much worse at the lead off spot right now.

Lowrie will be in tonight. Think Lowrie just needed a day off to get himself together.

They've finally figured ellsbury out. He'll swing at almost every inside pitch and is easily fooled by the breaking ball. He almost never walks because he's a contact hitter, so they throw out of the zone to him.

I'm kinda nervous about tonights game. But I've seen the sox pull off some crazy shit so we shall see

Hey guys not a baseball fan . Just a Manny being Manny fan lol. I see Big Papa aint the same when Manny aint hitting behind him. Hey just a thought

Its Big Papi..
and its not Manny, its Papi's knee. His numbers have been low all season

this is just hard to watch....

i can tell you what they're not cookin...fish, devil rays to be exact

I just started cheering for the Sox... cause watching an 11-2 game is boring.

Why the hell would you put Timlin back on the mound again? The guy sucks anymore. I hope him and Wake go away for next year.

I have had the notion the Rays have been a fluke all season long, but after these 3 games, my notion has drastically changed. The Rays did win the season series 10-8, but I just thought it was whatver...

After these last 3 sha-lackings, they are a legit team. Sonnanstine is dirty. Its nutty that he is their #4 pitcher.
Wakefield was doomed from the beginning. You could tell even when he struck out the first batter his knuckle was way too high in the zone. The only way he is effective is if he keeps that shit low. AS you saw with Pena and Longoria, keep that up in the zone and the guy might as well be pitching a beach ball.

The Sox game back from 3-0 in 04 and 3-1 in 07...but the Rays seem just too good right now, for another comeback like that.

I think the Sox will win tomorrow, based on pure adrenaline, but winning 2 in a row in Tampa against Kazmir and Garza wont be an easy task.

Dice-K needs to be perfect, and not have ONE shitty inning, which in his case, is always a possibility.

Manny being gone is a bit of a damper, but look at Bay. He is really the only one being consistently productive this post-season...

Heres a mini breakdown on why this is happening...

Ellsbury couldnt hit the side of a barn right now.
Pedrioa is playing like its April of 07 when he hit .143 for the entire month.
Papi isnt healthy.
Youk is a rock, but without the first 3 getting on his at bats are useless.
Drew is just kinda blah.
Bay is solid, but again with no one on base, his at bats are useless.
Kotsay is surprising me, but he normally gets up with no one on base
Varitek is an automatic out.
Lowrie is a rookie, playing like a rookie.
Crisp doesnt play enough to be affective.
Lowell OUT.

When the first 3 people in your lineup are playing like the bad news bears, your not going to win and it doesnt help that the Sox Starters are throwing meatballs over the middle of the plate every pitch...

It could be Rays-Dodgers...who would've thought at the beginning of the season!

Dodgers are out. That series is already over...

Only reason the you can't say that about the AL series is cuz of Boston's track record in these situations.

Man, big ups to the Phillies. I think games played in their stadium are always fun...so many home runs!

I REALLY hope that Maddux comes back for one more season and plays for a contender and gets a championship. He is my favorite pitcher of all time, and I hope that poor effort the rest of the Dodgers gave him is not his exit from baseball.

I smell the SOX cookin popcorn to wath the Phillies and Rays in the World Series....LOL

The Famous Citgo sign outside of Fenway caught on fire yesterday!

Omen? Coincidence? I think so, cuz it about to spark a fire under the SOX's ASSES and get this series back to Tampa!

I'm goin' tonight...flying up to go to the game!

I could have gotten tickets last night, but they want me in early at the gig to try and keep a crowd during the game :(

Good luck with that... I used to work at down there and my experience it was a ghost town around there during the game and if they win - party after. If they lose.... see ya.

yeah, its never busy during the game...hopefully i can just setup and watch the game. stop by if after we win :)

I actually would if I didn't have a flight at 6 am out of logan to get back in time for work. If the game goes extras I'm just gonna go back to Logan and sleep at the gate instead of at crashing at my buddy's house.

Wearing my Sox jersey to work today... I have a feeling we'll win this game. But its gonna be an uphill battle in tampa

OMFG!!!!!!!

seriously, its like Francona has a horse shoe lodged up his ass that he pulls out when his team is down by a buttload and on the verge of elimination

I think its going 7! That was a HUGE momentum shift. Beckett is going to pitch his best game of the season..oh man.

I was flipping out. I was almost ready to turn the game off, and then my gf said "What if you turned it off in 2004...." and that was when all the magic happened. I slept so good last night

That was awesome.

I have a bunch of photos on facebook I'll link to once I get them set up right.

FYI sleeping in Logan airport === not too restful.

It's always good to listen to your GF. Just look how good that worked for Adam, in the Garden of Eden!!!

I'm convinced that playing "Shipping up to Boston" @ my gig during the 7th was the reason for the comeback. Altho Im not a fan of Dropkick Murphys, that song is quiet powerful

You can believe what you want about Boston's success, but I konw the real deal. Let's just say Manny Ramirez didn't want to give up his soul. That's why he's sitting home and Boston is still playing

Selling his soul?
Oh.. Are we getting all the yankees slander now? Cmon.. Our team has heart

I was wearing my lucky "A-Rod sits when he pees" T-shirt as a last hope.

Game 7!!!

At least we didn't go quietly.

Congrats Tampa Bay Rays, you're officially soon2b in the record books for lowest ratings during a World Series ever. :)

ya i'm bitter

At least it wasn't the Yankees. Going forward, I wish they could both lose the World Series; but I suppose I could half-heartedly pretend to support the Phillies in spite of hating all Philly teams (and being a Met sympathizer.)

They are still flukes in my eyes. Garza isnt nearly as good as we made him look this series.

don't be a sore loser tig haha. you sound like john lackey after the angels lost that series

Im gonna be a sore loser today. I get a one day voucher.

Tampa has their chance this year, and they better take it. Lets all remember they're in the AL East... the toughest division in baseball... with the Redsox and the Yankees. Next year won't be as easy for them.

I don't plan on watching a single game of the World Series. I could really give a shit less @ this point who wins.

Id rather see the Phillies though, just so the band wagon rednecks in Tampa shut their traps.

Well look at it this way.. At least people will get off the redsox bandwagon next year. I couldn't even get tickets for a sox game in baltimore this past season. It happened in 2005 after they won in 04 as well

My boy asked me to go to Game 1 on wednesday if they had won last night...so im even a bit more pissed now then I normally would be in this situation...

i feel you tig. sucks when your team loses a game 7.

also, as excited as i am for the world series, i feel a big letdown coming after all the excitement of the alcs

The ALCS is always more exciting than the WS. American league team always whoops on the NL team in the WS. That's just the way its been for quite a while

yeah like in 2006 boy that AL team whooped on em good lol

but yeah i know what you mean, the AL has been stronger overall this decade

I fell the sameway about the Giants

Agreed. The problem with the WS is the fact that the NL is involved; It's like playing you AAA team.

Manny being Manny For President!

I miss baseball.

Oh, how I miss baseball.

Who's ready for an '09 thread?

me!

lol...once spring training begins...get the 09 thread in action...

Will the Sox pick Manny back up??? I think thats the burning question

+1

Uh oh. Manny ain't coming back. There's a better chance that Grady Little coaches this team next year.

what were the good 2008 baseball games for xbox 360? i wanna know which 2009 game to get when they start to come out with the new baseball season

TheSHOW is really good, and fun. Best grahpics. For a SERIOUS baseball game, go with MLB2k9

The new Show game is supposed to be ridiculous? Have you seen the screenshots? It looks ABSURD

i'm probably the only person here who is hyped up to buy mlb 2k9 today

that shit came out today?? u aint the only one then

Perhaps the Sox poor performance this year can be attributed to our lack of feeding this thread.